Workshop: North American Comparative Immunology Workshop, Santa Barbara, CA

所有生物体都需要免疫系统来保护它们免受病毒和其他致病微生物的侵害。然而，比较不同动物的免疫防御，从蠕虫到人类，显示出惊人的多样性。例如，哺乳动物和蛔虫使用一套完全不同的免疫“工具”来实现相同的目标：识别和消除病原体。本次研讨会要解决的核心问题是：“免疫系统如何在不同的生物体中运作，免疫机制的多样性可以为我们对动物免疫进化的理解提供什么见解？”本次研讨会将汇集研究各种生物（蠕虫、苍蝇、鱼、海胆、被囊动物、青蛙和人类）的研究人员，举行一次小型会议，促进不同领域研究人员之间的思想交流，并促进研究人员之间的新合作。这次会议产生的新见解最终可能提供新的应用前景，例如新的诊断和临床应用。此外，对不同免疫系统的更深入了解可以为如何维持作为食物饲养的动物的健康，或由于环境变化的影响而处于压力下的动物提供新的思路。由于农业或其他环境压力造成的过度拥挤往往反映在免疫反应较弱，对疾病的易感性增加。此外，会议将提供一个场所，让年轻的研究人员，包括本科生、研究生和博士后，有机会在一个有利于指导和培养他们职业生涯的互动环境中向社区展示他们的研究。在会议上提出的研究将在一个网站上公开（可通过http://www.mcdb.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/detomaso访问），并发表在免疫学杂志上。

All organisms require an immune system to protect them from viruses and other disease-causing microbes. However, comparisons of immune defenses of different animals, from worms to humans, have shown a surprising diversity. Mammals and roundworms, for instance, use a completely different set of immune "tools" to accomplish the same goal: the recognition and elimination of pathogens. The central question to be addressed in this workshop is: "How do immune systems operate in different organisms, and what insights can the diversity of immune mechanisms offer to our understanding of the evolution of immunity in animals?" This workshop will bring together researchers who study a diverse array of organisms (worms, flies, fish, sea urchins, tunicates, frogs and humans)for an small meeting that will foster an exchange of ideas between investigators in different fields and stimulate new collaborations between investigators. The new insights arising from this meeting could ultimately provide fresh applied perspectives, such as novel diagnostic and clinical applications. In addition, a greater understanding of diverse immune systems could provide fresh ideas on how maintain the health of animals that are being reared for food, or under stress due to the impacts of environmental change. Overcrowding due to farming, or other environmental stress is often reflected in a weaker immune response, with an increased susceptibility to disease. In addition, the meeting will provide a venue that gives younger investigators, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, the opportunity to present their research to the community, in an interactive environment conducive to guiding and nurturing their careers. The research presented at the meeting will be publicly available on a website (accessible via http://www.mcdb.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/detomaso) and published in an immunology journal.