Mark your Calendars!

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to welcome you to Redondo Beach in Southern California for the 27th International Workshop on Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) & Related Agents, June 29 – July 2, 2025 at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, Southern California, USA.

The goal of KSHV 2025 is to advance and promote research on infections associated with human cancer and other diseases, including in the setting of HIV-AIDS. The scientific topics will include the biology of oncogenic herpesviruses and associated human diseases, with specific emphasis on viral pathogenesis, viral latency and reactivation, viral gene expression and replication, host responses to infection, epidemiology, vaccine development, therapeutic intervention, clinical and translational research.

We will bring together researchers who do research on oncogenic DNA viruses to foster new collaborations and ways of thinking about Kaposi’s sarcoma virus and other closely related pathogens, and to explore new therapeutic strategies for treating patients with ailments associated with this oncogenic virus.

Since the first KSHV Workshop held in 1998 at UC-Santa Cruz, meetings have been held annually, rotating among the US west and east coast, and Europe, typically attended by 120-189 participants. In 2012, 2018, and 2024, joint KSHV and EBV meetings were held and attended by 200, 250 and most recently, 440 participants.

The International Workshop on KSHV and Related Agents is the premier forum for the exchange of new research developments in the field of gamma-herpesvirus biology and disease as it relates to Kaposi’s sarcoma virus. A yearly meeting is key to enhance interactions among all scientists in the field and promote interdisciplinary communication and collaborations among gamma-herpesvirus researchers with expertise that span:

• Epidemiology and Clinical Care, Vaccines and Therapeutics
• Virus Replication I – Entry/ Egress, DNA replication, Structure
• Virus Replication II – Gene Expression and Epigenetics
• Virus-Host Interactions I– Intrinsic Defenses, non-coding RNAs, exosomes
• Virus-Host Interactions II – Cell Signaling; Virus Latency and Reactivation – Establishment and Maintenance
• Virus Pathogenesis and Cancer – Immortalization, Tumorigenesis, and Microenvironment
• Virus Pathogenesis and Immunity – Innate and Adaptive Immunity, and Co-Infection

The KSHV 2025 Local Organizing Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee will formulate an innovative and thematic format for the meeting and we encourage all researchers with interest in KSHV, to submit their most current, unpublished work as abstracts before the March 7th submission deadline. The meeting encourages the presentation of data before publication to enable open discussion and feedback from a field of experts, in addition to fostering the development of their scientific communication skills. Networking opportunities will be structured for trainees to interact with senior faculty at academic institutions and scientists from industry and government. Senior scientist, clinicians and trainees at all levels are invited to participate and attend as well as attendees with knowledge and interests outside the KSHV community to bring perspective and instructive comparisons. As a means to feature the most up-to-date and exciting unpublished science, over 95% of speakers will be selected based on the merits of submitted abstracts.

Sincerely,

Local Organizing Committee: