Becky James led the way by playing a part in four of her country's nine medals in Minsk last time around, but British efforts may be hampered by the return of Australia's Meares, who missed out on last year's championships after taking a post-Olympics sabbatical.
The Aussies came out on top in the four years prior to her break, and Meares is sure to be a hugely influential figure in Cali, Colombia, when the event gets under way on Wednesday.
Ten-time world champion Meares claimed keirin and 500m time trial gold on her last world championships appearance in 2012, as well as silver and bronze medals in the respective team and individual sprint disciplines respectively.
Her presence was sorely missed 12 months ago as Australia slipped to third in the medal table, but the British team will be reluctant to loosen their grip on top spot.
After years of playing second fiddle to Australia, Great Britain finally climbed back to the summit of the championships in 2013, with double gold medallist James joined by Jason Kenny, Simon Yates and the women's team pursuit squad in topping the podium.
In the men's events, Australia's Michael Hepburn will not be on hand to defend the two gold medals he won in Minsk after turning his attention to the road, while Yates has also made that switch.
Germany finished second on the medal table last year and will hope for a repeat performance from Stefan Botticher, who claimed gold in the individual and team sprints.
Among the highlights of the five-day event's schedule are Sarah Hammer's attempted defence of her individual pursuit and omnium titles, and two potential face-offs between James and Meares in the women's 500m time trial on Thursday and the keirin final on Sunday.
Great Britain performance director Sir Dave Brailsford believes the championships will provide an indication of where the country stands in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
"With qualification for Rio 2016 expected to begin this year, this world championships will allow us to lay down a marker to see where we are at against the best in the world and assess what work needs to be done," he said.