FASEB Summer Conference on 'Autoimmunity'

这项更新提案要求部分支持2005年、2007年和2009年美国实验生物学协会联合会（FASEB）关于“自身免疫”的夏季会议，该会议通常每隔一年的6月在佛蒙特州萨克斯顿河的佛蒙特学院举行。本次会议已被预订，吸引了大约200名注册者（上限容纳在佛蒙特州会场），并与FASEB“淋巴细胞和抗体”夏季会议交替举行。会议的目的是汇集来自世界各地学术界和制药行业的教授、博士后和博士前水平的顶级免疫学家和临床研究人员，分享自身免疫性疾病发病机制和调节方面的最新进展。自身免疫性疾病共同影响大约5%的人口，针对每个主要器官系统，因此代表了一个重大的健康问题。然而，对其病因尚不清楚，目前没有治愈方法，也没有有效的治疗方法。

This renewal proposal requests partial support for the 2005, 2007 and 2009 meetings of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Conference on 'Autoimmunity' which is normally held every other June at the Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, VT. Historically, this meeting has been fully subscribed attracting approximately 200 registrants (the upper limit accommodated at the Vermont venue) and alternates years with the FASEB Summer Conference on 'Lymphocytes and Antibodies'. The purpose of the conference is to bring together basic top immunologists and clinical researchers from academia and the pharmaceutical industry at the professorial, post-doctoral and pre-doctoral levels from around the world to share the latest advancements in understanding of the pathogenesis and regulation of autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases together affect approximately 5% of the population targeting every major organ system and thus represent a significant health problem. However, there is not yet clear understanding of their etiologies and at present there are no cures and few useful therapies. The goal of this meeting is to merge data from animal models and patient studies on a broad range of autoimmune diseases; to share recent advances on the development of the T cell and B cell repertoires; mechanisms underlying the establishment and loss of self tolerance; the contribution of genetic and environmental (infectious) triggers to autoimmune disease development and progression; trafficking of autoreactive T cells to sites of inflammation; the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in tissue injury; and the latest therapeutic strategies for regulating autoimmune diseases. A major strength of the meeting is the informal forum that brings students and fellows together with established investigators who are international leaders in this highly disease-relevant and continually growing field. In addition to the oral presentations of the invited speakers and poster presentations by other attendees, the format of the meeting allows two short talks (15 minutes in length), selected from among the submitted abstracts, to be interspersed into each of the eight sessions providing the opportunity for more formalized oral participation by selected graduate student and postdoctoral trainees. A major goal is to foster the initiation and strengthening of collaborations among scientists in the field. This conference serves as the definitive meeting for bringing together basic and clinical scientists with research interests focusing on the etiology and reaulation of autoimmune diseases.