Annual Meeting 2026

Save the Date - 22 - 25 June 2026

Annual Meeting 2026

VALIDATE’s 8th Annual Meeting will take place from 22–25 June 2026 in the vibrant city of Cartagena on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

ECR Workshop - 22 June 2026

The 2026 Annual Meeting will open with a dedicated training day for Early Career Researchers, led by VALIDATE's own Samantha Vermaak and Dr María Adelaida Gómez. This year’s ECR Workshop will focus on grant writing, offering practical guidance on how to turn research ideas into competitive proposals. Through interactive sessions, participants will learn how to identify funding opportunities and structure applications effectively — gaining valuable insights from experienced researchers and grant reviewers.

A Three-Day Annual Meeting - 23 - 25 June 2026

Following the workshop, VALIDATE’s Annual Meeting returns — now extended to three full days to provide even more opportunities for networking, discussion, and collaboration. The meeting is free for VALIDATE members and will showcase cutting-edge vaccine research on our core pathogens: Mycobacteria, Leishmania, and Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis). The expanded format includes talks from international experts, poster sessions, interactive discussions, and social events — an unmissable opportunity to connect with peers and leaders across the global vaccine community.

The Venue- The Hyatt Regency, Cartagena 

Set on Cartagena’s Caribbean coastline, the Hyatt Regency Cartagena offers modern conference facilities, on-site accommodation, and excellent connectivity to the historic walled city. The venue provides an ideal setting for scientific exchange, networking, and collaboration, while also giving delegates the opportunity to experience one of Latin America’s oldest, most vibrant and culturally rich cities.

Hyatt Regence Cartagena

 

Your Safety and Travel to Colombia

The VALIDATE Management Team is monitoring international developments as we plan for the 2026 Annual Meeting. Based on current government travel advice, reputable news reporting, and guidance from our Colombian colleagues, we continue to plan for the meeting to take place in Colombia.

We recognise that the situation is complex and may evolve. The safety of our members and delegates remains our highest priority, and we will continue to monitor developments and adapt our plans if necessary, keeping members informed with clear and timely guidance. At this stage, we look forward to delivering a successful meeting in Colombia. If you have any questions, please contact the VALIDATE Team at VALIDATE@ndm.ox.ac.uk.

 

Annual Meeting Calls - Now Closed

The deadline for our Annual Meeting Travel Grants, Poster Abstracts, and Research Talks has now passed.

Register today!

Provisional Agenda

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09:30 – 10:00 - Registration & tea/coffee

10:00 – 10:05 - Welcome
Prof Samantha Sampson, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

10:05 – 10:25 - VALIDATE Update
Mrs Samantha Vermaak, University of Oxford, UK

10:25 – 11:10 - Keynote Talk: Vaccine Adjuvant Strategies to Enhance Burkholderia pseudomallei Antigen Specific Mucosal Immunity
Prof Ed Lavelle

11:10 – 11:30 - Establishing the Immunogenicity of the First Naturally Presented Leishmania Epitope Vaccine Candidates in Ethiopian Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Dr Thao-Thy Pham, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium

11:30 – 11:50 - Probing Extreme Phenotypes to Determine Correlates of Risk for Recurrent TB: A Step Towards Optimised Vaccine Development
Dr Happy Tshivhula, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

11:50 – 12:10 - Elucidating the Microbicidal and Regulatory Functions of Bovine Neutrophils During a Natural Mycobacterium bovis Infection
Dr Susana Flores Villalva, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Mexico

12:10 – 12:25 - Fellow Q&A
With Dr Thao-Thy Pham, Dr Happy Tshivhula, and Dr Susana Flores Villalva

 

12:25 – 13:25 - Lunch

 

13:25 – 13:45 - Determining the Metabolic Impact of BCG Vaccination
Dr Mrinal Das, University of Leicester, UK

13:45 – 14:05 - Assessing the Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of a Telomerase Deficient Leishmania major
Dr Mark Shiburah, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana

14:05 – 14:25 - Accelerating BCG Efficacy: Targeting Dendritic Cell Migration in Tuberculosis Immunization
Dr Luciana Balboa, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida (INBIRS), Argentina

14:25 – 14:40 - Pump-Priming Q&A Panel
With Dr Mrinal Das, Dr Mark Shiburah, and Dr Luciana Balboa

 

14:40 – 15:10 - Afternoon Break

 

15:10 – 15:40 - Investigator Research Talk
Speaker TBC

15:40 – 16:55 - Networking Session
Mrs Samantha Vermaak, University of Oxford, UK

16:55 – 17:00 - Wrap-up Session

17:00 – 19:00 - Drinks Reception / Poster Session

19:00 – 21:30 - Dinner

09:00 – 09:45 - Keynote Talk
Speaker to be announced soon

09:45 – 10:05 - Profiling the Mycobacterial Immune Response in Human Lung Tissue to Inform Novel TB Vaccine Design
Dr Alba Llibre Serradell, University of Birmingham, UK

10:05 – 10:25 - Burden of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Nepal to Inform Vaccine Needs (BURNEP Study)
Dr Suraj Bhattarai, Global Health Research & Medical Interventions Institute (GlohMed), Nepal

10:25 – 10:45 - Comparative Testing of Ag85 Isoforms and Consensus Sequence Optimisation for Next-Gen TB Vaccines
Dr Andy Tran, City St George’s, University of London, UK

10:45 – 11:00 - Q&A Panel
With Dr Alba Llibre Serradell, Dr Suraj Bhattarai, and Dr Andy Tran

 

11:00 – 11:30 - Morning Break

 

11:30 – 11:50 - Boosting BCG Vaccine Efficacy Through Metabolic Modulation of T Memory Stem Cells: Implications for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protection
Dr Mariano Maio, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida (INBIRS), Argentina

11:50 – 12:10 - Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel Recombinant Chimeric Vaccine for Protection Against Tegumentary Leishmaniasis
Dr Camila Freitas, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil

12:10 – 12:30 - Pilot Study to Investigate Tissue-Based Immunological Profiles Associated With TB With Single-Cell Spatial Resolution in Human Lymph Nodes
Dr Monika Looney, South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI), University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa

12:30 – 12:45 - Q&A Panel
With Dr Mariano Maio, Dr Camila Freitas, and Dr Monika Looney

 

12:45 – 13:45 - Lunch

 

13:45 – 14:05 - Defining the Mechanism of BCG-Priming and Its Impact on Subunit Vaccine Boosting
Dr Elena Stylianou, University of Oxford, UK

14:05 – 14:25 - Evaluation of a Recombinant Chimeric Protein Vaccine With Adjuvant for the Protection Against Visceral Leishmaniasis
Dr Daniela Pagliara Lage, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil

14:25 – 14:45 - Translating Protective Immune Signatures in the Lung to Peripheral Biomarkers for TB
Dr Paula Niewold, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Netherlands

14:45 – 15:00 - Q&A Panel
With Dr Elena Stylianou, Dr Daniela Pagliara Lage, and Dr Paula Niewold

 

15:00 – 15:30 - Afternoon Break

 

15:30 – 16:00 - Research Talk TBA
Prof Lydia Mosi, University of Ghana, Ghana

16:00 – 16:15 - Innovative Diagnosis for PKDL/Leprosy Project Update
Prof Mitali Chatterjee, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER), India

16:15 – 16:45 - Mucosal Priming and Sex-Specific Immunity in Tuberculosis Vaccine Protection
Assoc Prof Marcela Henao-Tamayo, Colorado State University, USA

16:45 – 17:00 - Day Two Wrap-up

09:00 – 09:45 - Keynote Talk
Speaker to be announced soon

09:45 – 10:05 - Development of Versatile and Cost-Effective Next-Generation Vaccines Through Multivalent Approaches
Dr Julen Tomás Cortázar, University College Dublin, Ireland

10:05 – 10:25 - Immune Signatures of Chronic Tuberculosis and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Asst Prof Menberework Negatue, Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Ethiopia

10:25 – 10:35 - Compartmentalized Immune Dysregulation in Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease: Insights from Neutrophil and T-Cell Profiling
Mr Raphael Kamng'ona, MRC The Gambia at LSHTM, Gambia

10:35 – 10:45 - Q&A Panel
With Dr Julen Tomás Cortázar, Asst Prof Menberework Negatue, and Mr Raphael Kamng'ona

 

10:45 – 11:05 - Morning Break

 

11:05 – 11:35 - Investigator Research Talk
Speaker to be announced soon

11:35 – 11:55 - Evaluating the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Curdlan-PLGA Nanoparticles Encapsulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens
Dr Zimvo Obasa, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

11:55 – 12:15 - Measuring the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Novel DNA-Launched Therapeutic for Tuberculosis in Both Murine and Human Models
Dr Robert Krause, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

12:15 – 12:25 - Q&A Panel
With Dr Zimvo Obasa and Dr Robert Krause

 

12:25 – 13:25 - Lunch

 

13:25 – 13:55 - Investigating the Role of Sestrin 2 in Tuberculosis Disease
Assoc Prof Suraj Parihar, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa

13:55 – 14:15 - Speaker to be announced soon

14:15 – 14:35 - Melio MuSe: Multiplex Serology Advancing Multicomponent Melioidosis Vaccines
Prof Ivo Steinmetz, Medical University of Graz, Austria

14:35 – 14:45 - Q&A Panel
With Assoc Prof Suraj Parihar and Prof Ivo Steinmetz

 

14:45 – 15:15 - Afternoon Break

 

15:15 – 16:45 - Content to be announced soon!

16:45 – 17:00 - Day Three Wrap-up