CSHL Fund Immunity & Therapy Potent Conference

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spg Hbr NY

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks support for a new immunology meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, entitled Fundamental Immunology and its Therapeutic Potential. This meeting, scheduled for April 2015, will have a unique focus aimed at both enhancing fundamental immunology research and speeding the translation of basic immunology discoveries to the clinic. The immunology field has entered an exciting new era in which our expanding knowledge of immune regulation is leading to innovative new therapies for the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and other diseases. Most small or moderate-sized immunology conferences focus on either basic immunology or translational/clinical immunology, or they focus on a specific disease. However, it is well known that clinical advances are driven by fundamental discoveries, emphasizing the importance of strong interactions between basic and translational researchers. Furthermore, it has been firmly established that research advances that were originally made while studying one type of disease can lead to important therapeutic advances in another disease. One striking example of this concept is the remarkable success of checkpoint blockage therapies for the treatment of cancer, drawing from initial fundamental studies in infectious disease models. With these issues in mind, the objective of this new meeting will be to bring an exceptionally strong group of investigators working on fundamental questions in immunology together with an equally strong group of researchers who have had experience and success translating fundamental advances to the clinic. Furthermore, the meeting will promote cross-interactions between researchers working on multiple disease types, by including studies of cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmunity and other relevant diseases. In addition to presentations by invited speakers, each session will include oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts, to permit active participation by younger independent investigators and promising trainees. Two or three poster sessions will also be included. The Cold Spring Harbor conference center can accommodate approximately 400 participants and has a global reputation as a highly attractive venue for interaction and scientific discourse.