The development of efficient vaccines requires an
interdisciplinary collaboration between physicians, epidemiologists,
researchers in basic virology and immunology
and experts in vaccine development. In addition, this
cooperation should include not only research groups but
also representatives of the World Health Organization,
admittance authorities and pharmaceutical companies.
The need to develop such a wide-ranging collaboration
formed the background for the organisation of the latest
International Workshop ‘Virus-Like Particles as Vaccines’,
held for the third time at the Charité Medical
School in Berlin in September 2001.