September 04,2026

On Friday, September 4, the 14th Meeting of the Consortium for the Control of Zoonoses was held at the International Institute for Zoonosis Control (IIZC), co-hosted by the IIZC and the Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University.  The conference opened with remarks by President, Kiyohiro Hokin of Hokkaido University, followed by a welcome address from Executive Director, Mayumi Ishizuka and Hirofumi Sawa, Professor and Director of the International Collaboration Unit (GI-CoRE Cooperating Hub) at the IIZC and Director of IVReD.

This was followed by a keynote lecture by University Professor Emeritus Hiroshi Kida, who established the Consortium for the Development of Countermeasures against Zoonoses in 2014 and has played a leading role in promoting international collaborative research and education between the IIZC and its partner universities overseas. In his keynote lecture, Professor Kida emphasized the importance of a One Health approach, which considers human, animal, and environmental health as an interconnected whole, for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and control of pandemic, seasonal, and avian influenza. He also highlighted the importance of collaboration among the fields of medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, agriculture, and environmental science. By strengthening surveillance systems, sharing information, and implementing comprehensive infection prevention measures, emerging infectious diseases can be detected and contained at an early stage, thereby minimizing their impact on human and animal health as well as on society and the economy.

The conference then featured four sessions covering vaccines and host responses to influenza and COVID-19, bacterial infectious diseases, viral infectious diseases, and genomic analysis of pathogens. Five internationally renowned researchers from the University of Melbourne, Professor Katherine Kedzierska and Professor Elizabeth Hartland; University College Dublin, Professor Stephen Gordon, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Professor Arnab Pain, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai / Ignaz Semmelweis Institute at the Medical University of Vienna, Professor Florian Krammer, as well as four researchers from Hokkaido University, including Professors Chie Nakajima, Junya Yamagishi, and Keita Matsuno of the IIZC, presented their latest research findings and progress in cutting-edge research on zoonotic diseases.

A total of 125 participants, including 76 international participants, attended the symposium. Participants included faculty members from partner universities overseas involved in GI-CoRE and IVReD collaborations, as well as researchers from the IIZC, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, IVReD, and the One Health Research Center, together with students from the Graduate School of Infectious Diseases. Each presentation was followed by lively questions and discussion. The symposium concluded successfully with closing remarks by Professor Ayato Takada, Director of the IIZC.

The symposium was also offered as a special class for graduate students of the Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, with 75 students participating. It provided a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge of both basic research and applied research aimed at translating scientific findings into practical applications for society.

The designation of the IIZC International Collaboration Unit as a GI-CoRE Cooperating Hub will conclude at the end of fiscal year 2026. Nevertheless, further strengthening collaboration between Hokkaido University and its partner universities overseas is expected to promote international collaborative research on zoonotic diseases, including elucidating pathogen transmission routes, deepening our understanding of the mechanisms underlying pathogenicity, and developing new approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases.

The 14th Meeting of the Consortium for the Control of Zoonoses

Host: International Institute for Zoonosis Control and the Institute for Vaccine Research and Development

Date: Friday, 4 September, 2026

Venue: WHO CCC Room,  International Institute for Zoonosis Control

Language: English

Poster and Program： Please click on the image to enlarge.

For details, please contact;

International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control,

Hokkaido University