The Global Forum on TB Vaccines is the world’s largest gathering of stakeholders striving to develop new vaccines to prevent TB. To date, six Global Forums and one virtual edition have been convened, beginning with the 1st Global Forum in Geneva, Switzerland in 2001.
The 6th Global Forum on TB Vaccines was held from 22-25 February 2022, hosted by Toulouse, France but convened virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With 370 registered from more than 50 countries, this was the largest and most regionally diverse Global Forum to date. The program ranged from insights into the basic biology of TB and the human immune response to issues in clinical research of TB vaccines, the importance of addressing access to new TB vaccines from the earliest stages of development and how to raise the profile and prioritization of TB in the global health agenda.
A Virtual Global Forum on TB Vaccines was held from 20 - 22 April 2021. The Forum provided an overview of the state of the field and recent progress in TB vaccine R&D against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic; and convened more than 365 researchers, developers, funders and other stakeholders from 36 countries remotely to discuss opportunities and challenges for TB vaccine R&D in these unprecedented times.
Nearly 350 participants from more than 30 countries gathered for the 5th Global Foum on TB Vaccines in New Delhi, India in February 2018. The 5th Global Forum saw a new sense of optimism and momentum as new data was announced, progress in clinical trials, preclinical research, and basic research were shared, and new solutions and innovative approaches to address challenges such as limited funding, the need for novel vaccine candidates, and improved tools to predict vaccine efficacy were discussed.
The 4th Global Forum on TB Vaccines was convened in Shanghai, China in April 2015, bringing together nearly 300 participants from 33 countries. The program included a full range of topics, including the progress of clinical candidates; research on immunopathogenesis, biomarkers and correlates; new approaches to animal models; novel clinical trial designs and strategies; and strategies to diversity the pipeline of TB vaccines under development. Participants also discussed the importance of international collaboration in both research and advocacy.
The 3rd Global Forum, held in Cape Town South Africa in March 2013, had 265 participants from 25 countries. Topics ranged from early stage research into biomarkers and correlates of protection, to late-stage clinical trials and issues around access to new TB vaccines. The 3rd Global Forum also served as an opportunity to review progress against the Blueprint for TB Vaccine Development, published in 2012, and to identify key activities and new partnerships and collaborations that would help advance the critical areas outlined in the Blueprint.
During the 2nd Global Forum, held in Tallinn, Estonia in September 2010, progress in the TB vaccine field over the last decade was reviewed and the global agenda and timelines for introducing improved TB vaccines into practice were re-framed. Moving forward toward a common agenda, attendees identified priorities for the next decade, which are compiled in a revised Blueprint for TB Vaccine Development that was published in a special supplement to Tuberculosis in March 2012. The Forum convened 200 delegates from 30 countries.
Global Forum on TB Vaccines
The Global Forum on TB Vaccines was convened for the first time in 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland by the World Health Organization. The conclusion of this first Global Forum was that the driving force for identifying improved vaccines for tuberculosis over the next ten years would be moving investigational TB vaccines into human clinical trials.
A summary of the First Global Forum including highlights and recommendations on the critical issues in TB vaccine development at the time was published in Tuberculosis.
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