2022 BSL4ZNet International Conference

Forging ahead stronger: Strengthening zoonotic disease preparedness

September 8 to October 13, 2022
Virtual conference

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The Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNet) organized a series of virtual sessions from September 8 to October 13, 2022. The sessions featured keynote speakers, expert panelists and moderated dialogues with questions and answers.

The BSL4ZNet is an international network of members from 5 countries, and members have agreed that the working language of the network is English. As a result, the 2022 International Conference was delivered in English.

In accordance with the Government of Canada's Policy on Official Languages, all supporting communications and services provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for the public are available in both official languages.

About

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, global collaborations have been critical in driving science forward. The time has come to leverage this experience to strengthen pandemic preparedness. In line with this, the overarching theme for the 2022 BSL4ZNet International Conference was "Forging ahead stronger: Strengthening zoonotic disease preparedness". The conference took place virtually from September 8 to October 13, 2022.

Program

The 2022 BSL4ZNet International Conference was organized into thematic sessions focused on strengthening zoonotic disease preparedness.

• SARS-CoV-2: then and now on Thursday, September 8, 2022
• Emerging and re-emerging pathogens: current research, challenges and future opportunities on Thursday, September 15, 2022
• Cutting-Edge Virtual Symposium on Coronavirus with Disease-X Potential from September 27 to 30, 2022
• Training world-class personnel in a post-pandemic era: competencies, culture and technological advancements on Thursday, October 6, 2022
• Advances in biosafety, biosecurity and biosurveillance on Thursday, October 13, 2022

The 2022 BSL4ZNet International Conference also included the Joint Cutting-Edge Virtual Symposium on Coronavirus with Disease-X Potential, which took place from September 27 to 30, 2022. The symposium segment of the conference was organized by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the UK-International Coronavirus Network (UK-ICN) and the BSL4ZNet, with peer-reviewed proceedings featured in a special issue in the Journal of General Virology, sponsored by the Microbiology Society.

The diverse line-up of international keynote speakers and panelists included scientific experts and leading science professionals from government, academia, industry and non-profit organizations. They work in the areas of research, emerging and re-emerging bio-threats laboratory management, biosafety and biosecurity, and science diplomacy and policy. They brought their knowledge, expertise and collaborative spirit to the conference. Discussions focused on how to leverage the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and other zoonotic outbreaks through reflections and lessons learned to strengthen zoonotic disease preparedness.

Details on each session, including agendas, topics, keynote speakers and expert panelists, are available on the event website. This virtual event included live discussions, networking opportunities as well as an engaging and inclusive environment for dialogue.

Recordings of all the conference sessions are available to registered participants on the participant portal.

Contact BSL4ZNet

Questions? Contact cfia.bsl4znet.acia@inspection.gc.ca for more information.