MDPI proudly hosted the New Horizons in Virology 2026 conference, the 6^th edition of the Viruses conference series, from 11 to 13 March 2026, chaired by Dr. Eric Freed from the National Cancer Institute and Dr. Albert Bosch from the Enteric Virus Laboratory.

The event brought together a diverse pool of experts and researchers in an inspiring, collaborative environment to discuss virology and share research and ideas.

This article covers everything you need to know about this conference.

A speaker at the Viruses 2026 conference presenting to a crowded audience.

What is the purpose of New Horizons in Virology?

Virology research is critically important due to the worldwide impact that new viral outbreaks have on people, animals and plants. With this conference, MDPI aimed to bring together international researchers studying various topics related to viral replication, pathogenesis, structure, immunology, epidemiology, public health and other areas of virology.

Participants had the opportunity to discover cutting-edge research and connect with global experts and peers in the field. The event also provided attendees with the opportunity to share research, exchange ideas and engage in meaningful discussions with fellow scientists and leading experts.

“I hope [attendees will] take away an increased appreciation for the diversity of viruses […] a conference like this really has value because one sees research on viruses very different from those that one studies.” – Dr. Eric Freed, event chair

Dr. Eric Freed speaking at the Viruses 2026 conference.

Schedule overview

The conference hosted sessions on:

• General topics in virology – a broad overview of the current developments in virology.
• Antiviral therapeutics, vaccines, and host defences – recent advances in the development of antiviral drugs and vaccines, along with the host’s defence mechanisms.
• Antiviral innate immunity – how viruses are detected and how they evade or suppress innate immunity.
• Structure and mechanisms of virus replication – viral protein and genome architecture, replication mechanisms, and viral particle assembly.
• Virus–host interactions – the complex interplay between viruses and their host cells.
• Viral pathogenesis and evolution – the mechanisms of viral disease and evolution.
• A sponsored workshop on Research Data Management in Virology.

Speaker profiles

Thirteen invited speakers from leading research institutions around the world presented their work, covering topics ranging from virus–host interactions to antiviral immunity. The keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Dr. David Ho, whose group identified one of the broadest and most potent panels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

• Stéphane Blanc – French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food & Environment (INRAE), Plant Health Institute of Montpellier (PHIM), Montpellier, France
• Anna Cliffe – Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
• Marta Giovanetti – Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Dr. Urs Greber – Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland
• Joe Grove – MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
• Leo James – MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
• Laurie T. Krug – Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
• Karen Maxwell – Department of Biochemistry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
• Dr. Stephanie Pfänder – Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, University of Lübeck, Germany
• Dr. Rosa M. Pinto – Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, School of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain
• Dr. Eike Steinmann – Department of Molecular & Medical Virology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• Dr. Christiane Wobus – Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Michigan Medicine University, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Shuofeng Yuan – The University of Hong Kong, China

Key collaborations

New Horizons in Virology encouraged important collaborations. MDPI is proud to have hosted the event, sponsored through the Viruses journal and the following organisations:

• Oxford Expression Technologies
• EVORA
• Elixir-Belgium
• VectorBuilder
• Spanish Society for Virology
• Global Virus Network

Participating in Viruses 2026

The conference was a great success, attracting nearly 200 attendees from 40 different countries. The event received close to 250 abstract submissions and 80 posters from participating scientists and hosted more than 50 selected talks.

MDPI is delighted to have been able to present two awards at the conclusion of the conference, sponsored by the Viruses journal, for best poster and best oral presentation.

To find out more details about the conference, you can visit the homepage on Sciforum. Keep an eye on our conferences blog page to stay up to date with any future conferences that MDPI will be involved in.

A large group of attendees at the Viruses 2026 conference stand in front of a branded projector screen.