The Lancefield International Symposium on Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases (LISSSD) will be heading to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in June 2025.
More than 500 of the world’s foremost experts in Streptococci and Streptococcal diseases are expected to attend.
The successful bid, supported by Australia’s scientific community was driven by BCEC Advocate, professor Michael Good and associate professor Manisha Pandey, in partnership with the team at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, together with Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) and Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA).
Good, an international leader in immunology of infectious diseases and vaccine research, along with Pandey, from Brisbane’s Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics, have developed vaccine platforms and world-first candidate peptide-based vaccines, currently in clinical trials, a major milestone in the fight against Strep A disease. Strep A is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths globally each year.
As a nation, Australia is deeply impacted by Streptococcal diseases, with the country’s Indigenous population recording the highest mortality rates in the world. Rheumatic Heart disease, the most severe form of the Strep A infection, is the cause of 100 deaths a year, with 90 per cent of those, Indigenous Australians.
“There has been a five-fold increase in Strep cases globally in the last two years and if our vaccine proves effective, we believe it has the ability to control the pandemic, particularly in remote overcrowded communities which have a lack of primary treatment and care,” stated Good.
Pandey said the key legacy of hosting the Symposium will be to shine an international spotlight on the extensive research and developments in Queensland and Australia, but also on the impact the disease is having across the world, generating a call for international collaboration for global solutions in this field.
Both professors envision the outcomes and discussions from the conference will significantly contribute to advancing understanding and solutions for Strep A-related challenges in these communities and globally.
Organisers also propose to utilise the Symposium to launch an inaugural conference on Rheumatic Heart disease, which would be anchored in Brisbane, eventually rotating around Australia and beyond, returning to its home city of Brisbane.
BCEC’s general manager, Kym Guesdon, said hosting the Symposium highlights the extraordinary contribution of the Centre’s Convention Advocates Partnership in pursuing human-changing science.
“We are delighted to support our internationally renowned researchers in attracting these important meetings to Brisbane and Australia, particularly with Brisbane’s world-leading expertise in vaccine development. It has been our honour to enjoy a decade-long relationship with key leaders in this field, including professor Michael Good.”
