Background

The 1^st and 2^nd meetings were held in Toronto in 1995, and Vancouver in 1997. The 3^rd meeting was held in Montreal in 1998. The plan was to continue to hold Canadian meetings on a 2-year cycle with a rotation of city and to form a Canadian Gene Therapy Society. However, in 1996 the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) was founded and most Canadian researchers in the field decided to join the ASGT. As a result, the series of Canadian meetings, initiated in 1995, were discontinued.

Nevertheless, the ATGQ decided to maintain their meetings and has had annual meetings, from 1999-2006, at different universities and research centers in Sherbrooke (twice), Montréal (five times) and Québec (twice), mainly with researchers and students from Québec and with some international guest speakers.

Meanwhile, a group led by Jeffrey Medin, initiated a series of Gene Therapy Meetings in 2002 at Langdon Hall, Ontario, with core participants from Southern Ontario along with a few international guest speakers. Over the years, participants from Québec and from other provinces have joined the yearly Langdon Hall Meeting.

At the Langdon Hall Meeting in 2007, it was decided to organize a joint meeting. The 4^th Canadian Gene Therapy and Vaccines was held, the following year, in Montréal under auspices of the ATGQ. The last Canadian Gene Therapy and Vaccines Symposium was held in 2010 in Quebec. In 2011, we have decided to revive traditions, and organize the ATGQ annual symposium by integrating new research themes such as cell therapy and vaccines.

Invitation

You are invited to attend the 10^th symposium of the Association de Thérapie Génique du Québec (ATGQ) to be held at Université Laval, Québec on November 18, 2011. The main goal of this meeting is to provide to actors from research institutions in the field of gene therapy and vaccine research, a smaller forum more conducive to exchange ideas, share expertise and foster collaborations than larger meetings with thousands of participants. It is also an invaluable training opportunity for students and postdocs. We expect to attract between 50 - 100 participants, including guest speakers. Three conferences given by students and a poster session are scheduled. These presentations will be judged, and prizes will be awarded for the best presentations.