ISAR'S PRESIDENT'S SUMMER MESSAGE
Summer Update: ICAR 38 Financial Results and Looking Ahead
Summer marks our Society's transition from reflecting on the past ICAR to planning the next. I'm pleased to report that the 38th ICAR generated a net income of just under $26,000. This positive balance helps offset financial pressures from the pandemic lockdowns and our transition through hybrid to fully in-person meetings. We're grateful to all sponsors whose support ensures the Society's financial stability, we couldn't have achieved this without you.
This achievement reflects financial responsibility and conservative budgeting in a challenging funding environment, strongly advocated by Treasurer Brian Gowen, along with renewed sponsorship efforts led by Conference Sponsors Committee Chair David Durantel. However, we wouldn't have reached this balance without the extraordinary generosity of two ISAR awardees.
As those in Las Vegas witnessed, Dr. Marco Vignuzzi donated his Alice Ball Award back to the Society to support junior researchers from underrepresented backgrounds. He also personally matched the donation with generous contributions to the Matthew Shepard Foundation (USA) and Oogachaga Foundation (Singapore). What wasn't previously announced is that Dr. Tomas Cihlar also donated his Gertrude Elion Award back to the Society for the same purpose. Their generosity in advancing ISAR’s mission is deeply appreciated and reflects their exceptional character as both scientists and human beings.
As ISAR President, I want to publicly recognize and thank both Tomas and Marco for their generous support of ISAR's mission, and I invite you all to join me in this appreciation.
ICAR 2026 Planning Underway
The Program Committee, led by President-Elect David Durantel, is now organizing ICAR 2026. The meeting will once again feature sessions organized by viral pathogens and disease groups, integrating virology, medicinal chemistry, clinical research, animal models, and drug development using experimental, mathematical, computational, and big data approaches across sessions.
All major awardees are confirmed and guest speakers are being invited. Next year, ISAR will also present an ISAR Award of Excellence—an honor we confer sporadically to researchers with outstanding lifelong achievements (previous recipients: Erik De Clercq, Gertrude Elion, William Prusoff, Richard J. Whitley, and Robert Gallo). Updates on awardees and speakers will follow as we approach the meeting.
The Local Organizing Committee, Zlatko Janeba, Radim Nencka, and Andrea Brancale, working with Regina and Kelly from Caliber Meetings, has secured an excellent venue. Cubex offers ample, comfortable spaces for all activities and networking, with easy access throughout Prague. The late April timing promises ideal weather for exploring Prague and the surrounding region before, during, or after the meeting.
Social Media Evolution
The Society continues adapting to the rapidly evolving social media landscape. We've observed that "X" (formerly Twitter) is no longer effective for scientific and professional information exchange across much of the world. While we recognize and appreciate Jessica Spengler's outstanding management of our Twitter/"X" account over many years, we've decided to close it given these changes. Bluesky's reach remains limited to a relatively homogeneous, geographically constrained audience. Our ICAR2025 exit poll showed few members regularly follow these channels.
We're therefore focusing on LinkedIn and WeChat, which remain valuable for professional outreach and information exchange. Our LinkedIn page has nearly 2,000 followers (and growing) with posts averaging 500 daily impressions, indicating strong reach. For WeChat, we've transitioned from the previous limited-access ISAR group to a widely accessible ISAR page. We're grateful to Dr. Peng Zhan for managing our presence on this platform and to Dr. Jinhong Chan for years of excellent WeChat group management.
Since launching ISAR Op/Ed pieces in Antiviral Research, we primarily use social media to highlight relevant achievements in antiviral discovery, research, development, and evaluation—particularly by our members—and major Society activities. Please share any activities, news, or publications you'd like the Society to promote, and feel free to share thoughts about our social media presence or interest in contributing to these efforts by reaching us at: info@isaricar.com.
Save the Date: 39th ICAR Prague, April 27-May 1, 2026
Stay tuned for updates. Looking forward to seeing you all there.
I want to close by thanking the co-chairs of the Publications committee, Rob Jordan and Jessica Spengler for their work editing this message.
Regards,
Luis M Schang
President, ISAR