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If you have not found the time to register for the online LASA annual conference later this year, do not worry, registrations are still open! The online annual conference will be spread over a total of six afternoons in mid/late November 2021, with the opportunity for registered delegates to ‘watch on demand’ for several months afterwards.

16–18 and 23–25 November 2021

13:00h–16:30h GMT

The scientific programme is available to download from the LASA website (https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasa-annual-conference-2021/) so that delegates get a taste of what to expect later this year, you will be able to see we have chosen a ‘looking beyond Coronavirus’ theme for this year and the LASA Sections have contributed their thoughts and ideas to the programme, so the content is very varied. We anticipate that there will be something to interest everyone.

Topics include:

Expert keynote speakers.

Culture of care within facilities, how this was affected during the pandemic and how it has been altered for the future.

The world of virtual teaching and training. What has worked well and how can this be further developed? Learning from educators’ experiences to teaching online, blended learning and social distancing challenges during the pandemic.

Colony management moving forward from COVID-19.

Let’s learn from our medical colleagues and intensive care medicine.

Large animal models and vaccine development, including facility responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Interactive workshops.

Also including:

e-posters and videos;

virtual exhibition;

‘trade rooms’ – visit our exhibitors for informative sessions and workshops;

interactive platform and easy useability;

user chat and facetime functions.

Our opening keynote speaker is confirmed, and we are delighted that Dr Alexandra Spencer (Jenner Institute, University of Oxford) is able to join us to present ‘Preclinical insights into the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine’. Dr Spencer will be sharing her knowledge and expertise by providing an overview of the preclinical side of the vaccine development, why NHP, ferret and mice studies were vital and showcasing how integral animal work was to getting this vaccine to the clinic (and licensed).

LASA is also very excited to announce that a COVID-19 specialist has agreed to present on her area of expertise. Professor Sharon Peacock, Professor of Public Health and Microbiology in the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, and Executive Director and Chair of the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium, will discuss ‘SARS-CoV-2 variants – past, present and future’. The COG-UK consortium has been created to deliver large-scale and rapid whole-genome virus sequencing to local NHS centres and the UK government. COG-UK is made up of an innovative partnership of NHS organisations, the four Public Health Agencies of the UK, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and over 12 academic partners providing sequencing and analysis capacity. The virus genome data is combined with clinical and epidemiological datasets to help guide UK public health interventions and policies. The data enables researchers to identify and understand genetic changes that affect how easily the virus is passed on and the severity of the symptoms it causes. It will also help to target the development of treatments and vaccines and monitor their impact as they are introduced.

Dr Charlotte Summers, a lecturer in intensive care medicine at the University of Cambridge and writer for the UK newspaper The Guardian, will be joining us to share her thoughts on ‘Developing therapies for Covid-19’ and her experiences on the intensive care medicine wards during the pandemic.

Professor Danny Altmann is an active research scientist, heading a laboratory at the Hammersmith Hospital Campus of Imperial, with expertise in the HLA system, antigen discovery, T cell subsets and NK cells. We are excited to confirm that he will also be joining our line-up of expert speakers. Professor Altmann told the BBC’s Panorama programme that they have identified a pattern of antibodies in people with long COVID different from those who have fully recovered from COVID-19. Long COVID is the term used to described people who still suffer from fatigue and other symptoms such as breathlessness and muscle aches weeks or months after the viral infection has resolved. The team analysed blood samples from dozens of people and identified a group of antibodies in long COVID sufferers that appear to attack healthy tissues in the body, similar to those seen with autoimmune diseases, that were not found in a healthy control group. While the team stress that the research is in its early stages, the hope is that development of a diagnostic would help distinguish people with long COVID from other chronic conditions and – down the line – help to find potential treatments for the condition. It is great that delegates will be updated on his current research and find out whether he feels the pandemic has elevated scientists’ voice in society.

All presentations will be recorded and will be available for registrants to ‘watch on demand’ for several months after the main event. The virtual platform is very ‘interactive’ so will allow for networking opportunities between delegates and trade partners alike.

LASA is grateful that Envigo has confirmed their ongoing sponsorship (£500 first prize) for the scientific poster session this year – the format will be slightly different to adapt to the virtual environment and includes the option to record a short scientific ‘poster pitch’ (five-minute duration) in MP4 format for delegates to view – there will also be an opportunity for live Q&A with poster presenters during the event if presenters wish to participate in this too.

The Animals in Science Education Trust continue their generous support of the LASA 3Rs session (https://www.animalsinscienceeducationtrust.org.uk/) and are sponsoring a first prize (£200) to the best 3Rs presenter during their online session on Thursday 18 November.

Registration is still open, so do not forget to book your space! https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasa-annual-conference-2021/

We are hoping to encourage those attending the online conference to use social media such as Twitter to share their thoughts and take-home messages during the meeting using #LASA2021 and tagging @LASA_UK (https://twitter.com/LASA_UK)

For all LASA events, contact the Secretariat info@lasa.co.uk or consult the meetings section of the LASA website: https://www.lasa.co.uk/lasameetings/

Registration still open for LASA Annual Conference Online 2021

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