Training on Science & Technology and complementary skills

Background information:

Since 2001, some members of EASCO, M. Mezzina, O. Merten, E. Kremer and others (see the EASCO members) who operated in Généthon (Evry, F), started a programme of symposiums and practical courses on gene vectors and their application in gene therapy.

After the GVPN conference in 2001 (see also Journal of Gene Med, Trends in Geneticsand Mol Ther), seven other events have been organised:

1: in Evry (F), on April 14-23, 2002: The first Gene Vectors Eurolabcourse

2: in Bellaterra (SP), on February,  1-14, 2004: Towards clinical gene therapy: pre-clinical gene transfer assessment

3: in Evry(F), on June 14-16 2004; Advanced methods for industrial production, purification and characterization of gene vectors

4: in Evry/Paris/Maison-Alfort(F), on September 7-14, 2007:  MOLEDA Summer school: non-viral gene transfer into muscle and skin

5: in Evry (F), on June 29 – July 4, 2008, the CONSERT labcourse:  Lentiviral vectors: concepts, practice, hope and reality

6: in Shanghai (PRC) on September 8 – 11, 2009 1st  International Gene and Cell Therapy Conference & Lentiviral vectors training course

7: in Kuopio(FI), on August 26 –September 4,  2010, Viral Vectors in Gene Therapy: Applications & Novel Production Methods

8: in Evry/Paris, on March 5-6, 2014, Switching Career from/to Acedemia and Industry

 These courses represented a novelty, since for the first time practical laboratory training was combined with a large symposium open to all with plenary lectures, short selected communication, poster sessions, interdisciplinary workshops and round table discussions.

Therefore, these courses attracted many researchers from academic institutions and industry: the first ones found the opportunity to consolidate their career and the second ones, found new market perspectives.