Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of the organizing committee, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the 12^th International Oncolytic Virotherapy Conference (IOVC) will be held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota from 9 October to 12 October, 2019. The 12^th IOVC is made possible in part by generous support from the Mayo Clinic through the Helen C Levitt Funds.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the first conference on Cytoreductive Cancer Therapy held at the Mayo Clinic Rochester in 1999, which gave rise to the regular IOVC meetings. Over the past 20 years, tremendous progress has been made in the development of tumor-selective oncolytic viruses.  Now, as we move into the era of deep sequencing, theranostics-guided therapies, and personalized medicine, we are seeing promising outcomes from novel approaches and combination studies.

IOVC is THE definitive oncolytic virus conference for fundamental and clinical scientists in academia and industry working across all aspects of the OV field. At this year’s conference, we look at successful approaches as well as barriers in oncolytic virotherapy. As in previous years, the program will start on the evening of 9 October, with keynote lectures and a welcome reception, followed by three full days of scientific presentations by invited speakers and proffered abstracts, ending on the evening of 12 October with a gala dinner. Registration fees for trainees/PhD students will be heavily subsidized and meals covered by generous funding support. Please register early and submit an abstract for consideration as the total number of registrants will be capped at 400. Abstracts will compete for various merit prizes and travel awards. We also welcome investors, the pharmaceutical industry, and service providers to join us at this IOVC conference as it promises to be the largest gathering of the best and brightest in the OV space today. Register early to avoid disappointment!

We look forward to welcoming you to Rochester, Minnesota in October 2019.

Kah-Whye Peng, Conference President

CONFERENCE PRESIDENT
Kah-Whye Peng, Mayo Clinic

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
John Beadle, PsiOxus Therapeutics
John Bell, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Ennio Chiocca, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard
Robert Coffin, Replimune
Kerry Fisher, University of Oxford
Eva Galanis, Mayo Clinic
Nori Kasahara, University of Miami
Martine Lamfers, Erasmus MC
Brian Lichty, McMaster University
Grant McFadden, Professor and Director, Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy (B-CIVV), Arizona State University, USA; Co-founder, OncoMyx Therapeutics; Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, OncoMyx Therapeutics
Alan Melcher, University of Leeds
Samuel Rabkin, Harvard Medical School
Stephen Russell, Mayo Clinic
Len Seymour, University of Oxford
David Stojdl, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Tomoki Todo, University of Tokyo

INVITED SPEAKERS
Glen Barber, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Chae-Ok Yun, Hanyang University
Valery Grdzelishvili, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Balveen Kaur, University of Texas, Houston
Jing Qing, AMGEN
Liang Deng, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Autumn Schulze, Mayo Clinic
Gabriella Campadelli Fiume, University of Bologna
Natasha Lapteva, Baylor College of Medicine
Dimitry Zamarin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Lelia Delamarre, Genentech
Richard Vile, Mayo Clinic             
Hideki Kasuya, Nagoya University

REGISTRATION GUIDELINES

All registrations are discounted as early-bird registrations up to and including 31 July 2019. Payment for early bird invoices are due within 2 weeks of invoice date. Registration is in English, and the congress currency is USD $.

Payment by card (we use STRIPE as our card processing gateway) is preferred and will ensure your registration is activated immediately.

Abstracts can be submitted once your congress registration is complete; you will be able to submit your abstract as part of the congress registration process.

REGISTRATION: FEES & FINANCIALS

Payment of your congress registration fee entitles you to the following**:

- Participation at all scientific sessions
- Access to poster exhibitions
- Congress bag and materials including Scientific Program Book
- Daily coffee breaks and lunches, welcome and closing / award ceremonies, networking dinner, breakfast as notified in the programme
 

REFUNDS
We will refund registration fees as follows:

 - for cancellations received by 31 July: 90% refund
 - for cancellations received by 15 August: 70% refund
 - for cancellations received by 15 September: 25% refund
 - for cancellations received after this date: NO REFUND

Refund / cancellation requests must be sent in writing. Where possible, refunds will be processed within 5 days of receipt; however based on timing and conference workload, refunds may not be processed until after the conference.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

YOU NEED TO HAVE REGISTERED TO THE CONGRESS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT.

More than 50% of the programme is dedicated to selected abstracts because we want to ensure that the best and most current research is presented. A large panel of international moderators reviews abstracts so that every abstract receives at least 3 reviewer scores.

Abstract submission guidelines: Make sure your abstract is in, on time and in the right format by following these simple steps:

1: The Deadline for abstract submission is 31 July 2019.

2: Your abstract should be no more than 250 words and should be in English.

3: Keep your title concise and informative and only use capital letters for the beginning of a sentence or an acronym/name. DO NOT USE CAPITAL LETTERS FOR YOUR ENTIRE TITLE.

4: List all authors’ name in full and it is compulsory to identify a presenting author. Please note the email address supplied when you submit your abstract will be used for all correspondence pertaining to the abstract.

5: Addresses should be in the following format: Group, Department/Institute, Organisation, Town/City, Postcode/Zip, Country

6: Do not include acknowledgements in your abstracts – these will be included in your word count.

7: Select the subject area that best fits your abstract as this is a guide for review allocation.

8: Please ensure that the email provided when submitting the abstract will still be valid when the abstract notification is emailed during September 2019.

Poster Guidelines
Posters should be made in a single size (dimensions TBC in acceptance email), portrait orientation. If your poster does not match these dimensions we cannot guarantee that it will fit the poster boards. Each poster will be allocated a number with your notification that you must bring with you.

What happens after you have submitted?
Your abstract will be sent for review and you will be notified of the outcome by email. Please note the notification email will be sent to the email given when you submitted your abstract. If you have not received notification by end of September please contact the IOVC Office.

PLEASE NOTE that all submitting authors will have to have read and agreed to the Abstract Submission Agreement prior to submission

Register Now

The Mayo Civic Center is host to our 12th Conference; the hotels, social locations, and conference venue are all located within close proximity to one another so will allow for easy connections. 

See below for some high-level information, or check this local site for guidance on your journey.

BY CAR

If you are thinking of driving to the conference, please see here for drive and park information. 

BY AIR

The Rochester International Airport (RST) provides direct flights to Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Chicago, and connecting flights to more than 640 destinations. 

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is located 90 miles from Rochester.

BY RAIL AND BUS

Amtrak provides daily train service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. The train departs from the Amtrak depot in Winona, located about 45 miles east of Rochester. Daily bus/shuttle is available to and from the train depot on Carefree Shuttle.

Jefferson Bus Lines offers service from Rochester to many cities and it connects to Greyhound in Minneapolis.

Here is a handy googlemap of the area, featuring all the hotels - you can check distances for example. 

Please see below for a selection of hotels servicing the area of the Mayo Civic Centre - all together in one place! Please direct any accommodation questions and issues straight to the hotel, as IOVC does not manage any of the accommodation for the conference delegates. If you require nights outside of what is offered, please do speak to the hotel - they will be able to help you further. 

The below rates are ROOM ONLY (breakfast is available at the conference venue each morning), and subject to local sales tax.

Kahler Inn & Suites Standard 2 Queens - $129 Click below for more info on the hotel: Kahler Inn & Suites Click below to book as part of the IOVC19  2019 Intl Oncolytic Virus Conf  Hotel details 9 3rd Ave NW Rochester, Minnesota, 55901 Tel # 507-285-9200	Kahler Grand Standard King / 2 Double - $119 Executive King - $169 Click below for more info on the hotel: The Kahler Grand Hotel Click below to book as part of the IOVC19 2019 Intl Oncolytic Virus Conf  Hotel details 20 2nd Ave SW Rochester, Minnesota, 55902 Tel # 507-280-6200
DoubleTree by Hilton Run of House - $208 Click below for more info on the hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton HotelRochester Click below to book as part of the IOVC19 IOVC Reservations web page Group Code: IOV Hotel details 150 South Broadway Rochester, Minnesota, 55904 Tel # 507-281-8000	Hilton Garden Inn Run of House - $172 Click below for more info on the hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Rochester Downtown Click below to book as part of the IOVC19 IOVC Reservations web page Group Code: IOV Hotel details 225 South Broadway Rochester, Minnesota, 55904 # 507-285-1234
Marriott Standard King - $229 Click below for more info on the hotel: Rochester Marriott Mayo Clinic Area Click below to book as part of the IOVC19 IOVC Reservations web page Hotel details 101 First Avenue SW Rochester, Minnesota, 55902 Tel # 507-280-6000

Guide for sponsors and exhibitors

Thank you for your valued support of our meeting! 

If you are not yet signed up as a sponsor of the meeting, please have a look at our sponsor and exhibitor pack. To discuss the best sponsor package, or for questions about sponsorship or exhibiting at the congress, please contact the IOVC Office. You can see stats from the previous conference here. 

As a current sponsor or exhibitor of our congress, you are entitled to a number of free registrations to the congress as well as reduced fees for additional members of your team, please see your contract for confirmation of amount of free registrations, and your invoice for the discount code to use for the free and discounted registrations. 

Exhibitor Pack

An exhibitor pack with full details on the venue and shipping, as well as any other important information you will need to prepare for your attendance at the Rochester conference will be available here during the summer.

The Welcome Reception & Dinner, Conference Dinner, and Farewell Dinner & Dance are included in your congress registration.

WELCOME RECEPTION & DINNER - Wednesday 9 October

We will open our 2019 Conference with a cocktail party at the Civic Center this will be a good opportunity to catch up with old friends this  casual evening culminating in our IOVC19 keynote speeches. 

CONFERENCE DINNER - Thursday 10 October

The second Networking social and dinner will be  in the Mayo Clinic's premises which house its world-renowned Healthy Living Program, another opportunity for more catch up but also some exercise and advice on healthy living.

"The Mayo Clinic Healthy Living program provides transformative healthy lifestyle experiences for Mayo Clinic patients, Rochester visitors and the community. Developed and delivered by Mayo Clinic experts, this experiential program is science-based, outcomes-focused, and centered around three domains – nutrition, physical activity, resiliency and weight loss. Offerings ranging from half an hour to multiples days, The Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program model successfully combines the personalized, immersive experience of working with experts in a state-of-the-art wellness facility with follow-up support to help individuals stay on track."

FAREWELL DINNER & DANCE - Saturday 12 October

Our closing dinners are always fantastic fun, a great way for everyone to close off the conference amongst colleagues and friends, old and new! We will also be announcing the award winners during the dinner. 

The dinner will be organised at the Landow Atrium in the Gonda building with as always wonderful world food and entertainment.