54th Annual Meeting of the Society For Leukocyte Biology

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This R13 is to support the 54th Annual Meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology (SLB) entitled “Immunometabolism: Fueling the Flame of Aging, Cancer and Immunity”. SLB is the leading scientific society with a focus on leukocytes and their roles in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic diseases. No other scientific meeting regarding study of the immune system focuses on the leukocyte with the breadth and depth of SLB so the annual meetings sponsored by SLB fill this void. In 2020, SLB switched to a virtual format when meeting in person became untenable due to COVID-19. The entire planned program was executed virtually including all scientific sessions and workshops and the intent is to do that again in 2021 using a plan informed by the success of last year’s meeting. Funds are requested to offset administrative costs and costs of software packages needed to host a virtual event. The goals of the annual meeting include: 1) advancement of original and seminal research, 2) promotion of the career development of junior and new investigators, 3) dissemination of information about the field to the wider scientific and lay audience, and 4) encouragement of the translation of basic research in leukocyte biology to applications in the clinic. These goals will be achieved through three Aims: Aim 1: To understand Immunometabolism as it relates to immune health and disease and to hear from investigators working on other topics at the cutting edge of leukocyte biology. Topics will be covered by 12 Scientific Sessions entitled as follows: Immunity Across the Life Span; Tissue Resident Macrophages; Neuroinflammation; Transplant Immunology; Intestinal Immunity; Cancer; Context Dependent Immune Adaptation; Immunometabolism; COVID 19: Adaptive Immunity; Targeting Metabolism,Non-cancer; Single Cell Analysis; and Western Lifestyle:Metaflammation. SLB has a commitment from a total of 40 invited speakers. Aim 2: To provide an opportunity for new investigators and trainees to interact closely with established scientists. An innovation for the 2021 meeting will be the SLB-SCHOOL (Society for Leukocyte Biology- Symposium for Career development and Hands-On Opportunity to Learn) which will offer a full day instructional workshop covering practical topics related to leukocyte research led by experts in the field. In addition, to compensate for the absence of poster presentations that highlight in person meetings, trainees will be invited to submit a brief powerpoint video presentation of their work which will be shown within a series of dedicated sessions and will be followed by breakout sessions permitting in depth discussions and network opportunities. Aim 3: To promote diversity and inclusion in the field of leukocyte biology by cultivating the participation of women, underrepresented groups, early stage investigators and disadvantaged individuals. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee will sponsor workshops encourage the participation of women and scientists from underrepresented groups. In sum, the 2020 program is purposefully designed to enhance awareness of the influence of leukocyte biology in health and disease and inspire young investigators.