Kilmer Conference – Request for Abstracts

The Kilmer Conference Program Coordinator (John Logar) has circulated a Request for Abstracts for Kilmer 2022.

The Kilmer Conference recognises pioneering efforts in the field of sterilization and sterility assurance, taking its name from Fred Kilmer, who was a leader in the pharmaceutical industry and director of Johnson & Johnson’s scientific laboratory from 1889-1934. Johnson & Johnson has hosted a total of ten Kilmer Conferences between 1976-2019 for invited professionals in the areas of microbiological quality, assurance of sterility and infection control from industry, academia, regulatory authorities, and healthcare delivery organizations. Previous conferences focused on advancements in terminal sterilization and aseptic manufacturing, new validation methods, new technologies, and world health issues.  We are planning to host the 11^th Kilmer Conference in Athens, Greece on 13-16 June 2022.

The 2022 Kilmer Conference theme is Continuity: Fostering Our Future and will be linked to the End-to-End (E2E) Microbiological Quality and Sterility Assurance conversation that was initiated in the 2016 conference and through the 2019 conference.  A consistent message from the participants of the 2019 Kilmer Conference was the need to continue to focus on establishing a means of leveraging the community to collaborate to address common issues that cut across the medical device, pharmaceutical and consumer industries.  The theme of Continuity is to highlight those individuals and activities across the industry that have pioneered and delivered innovation to develop next generation products and processes for our customers.

This is your opportunity to contribute content to the conference by submitting an abstract for consideration in the program.  We are looking for individuals to present on their new collaborative and innovative work in the context of continuity for the following E2E Microbiological Quality topic areas:

1. Research & Development (e.g., new products/processes driving innovative microbiological quality solutions),
2. Planning & Sourcing (e.g., changing suppliers, manufacturing facilities/supplies),
3. Make (e.g., innovative manufacturing processes, aseptic processing, sterilization),
4. Deliver (e.g., packaging solutions, Regulatory, device processing),
5. Customer Experience (e.g., future customer needs, infection prevention), and
6. Talent Development and Succession Planning (e.g., attract/retain/develop).

Please note that the examples are meant only to provide an orientation to the topic areas and should not be viewed as the only technical content to be discussed/submitted.

Please submit your abstract, using the abstract submission guidance below, to the Conference Program Coordinator, John Logar at Jlogar8@its.jnj.com no later than 15 January 2022. Submitted abstracts will be considered for an oral presentation or electronic poster during the main conference.  All abstracts submitted will be peer reviewed by the Kilmer Conference Program Committee and then, if selected for advancement, go through approval by the Kilmer Industrial Advisory Board.  Individuals whose abstracts are selected for a presentation during the conference will be notified by 28 February 2022.

Kilmer Conference Abstract Submission Guidance:

Please include the following information in support of your topic:

1. Topic Area – identify area of E2E Microbiological Quality and Sterility Assurance (eg R&D, Plan, Source etc) and connection to ‘continuity’
2. Author/Co-Authors – names and contact information (e-mail, company and phone)
3. Title of Presentation
4. Abstract – brief summary of your topic and provide information on how the topic is collaborative and/or innovative, how it demonstrates continuity; and if this is original research and/or status of testing (e.g. in-progress, completed)
5. Information pertaining to your abstract – whether the topic/information has been previously presented, and if so, where/when; and any other information pertaining to the original work being presented that you would like to share.