Abstracts from “chronic Viral Infection and Cancer, Openings for Vaccines” Virtual Symposium of the TechVac Network

Approximately one out of eight human cancers has viral etiology.Viral cancers present unique opportunities for prophylaxis, diagnosis, and therapy, as demonstrated by the success of HBV and HPV vaccines and HCV antivirals in decreasing the incidence of tumors that are caused by these viruses.For other chronic viral infections and related cancers, problems still dominate over the progress.Prophylactic HPV vaccination does not cure already established infections, urgently requesting development of therapeutic HPV vaccines.Several are in pipeline, but still far from actual application for treatment of HPV-related cancers.Development of HCV vaccines is in progress, but is hampered by HCV variability and absence of longitudinal sterilizing anti-viral response.The success of antiretroviral therapy in controlling HIV-1 replication and immune reconstitution did not lead to significant reduction of HIV-1 associated cancers indicating alternative mechanisms of their development, not connected to immune suppression.Symposium aims were to unravel the progress in the studies of the molecular pathogenesis of chronic viral infections, and summarize common mechanisms of action of human oncogenic viruses, such as the activity of viral oncoproteins, induction of genomic instability, support of chronic inflammation, and modulation of tumor microenvironment.Topics that received special attention were: (i) virus-induced alterations in the functions of immune system, (ii) induction of innate and adaptive immune responses, (iii) the relationship between the immune response to viral infections; and (iv) metabolism from the infected and cancerous cells to the whole body level.In-depth understanding of these processes creates innovative openings to the development of novel viral vaccines and immunotherapies. Session "molecular pathogenesis of chronic viral infections" PL1. Chronic viral infections and oxidative stress