2012 Immunochemistry and Immunobiology Gordon Research Conference

描述（由申请人提供）：免疫系统对人类健康和福祉具有巨大影响。免疫系统的细胞几乎在身体的每个部位巡逻，充当哨兵，防御病原体和疾病。然而，免疫功能异常会导致免疫缺陷、自身免疫和过敏，还会导致动脉粥样硬化和癌症等其他疾病。因此，免疫失调在许多最常见的人类疾病中表现突出。自 1966 年以来，戈登免疫化学和免疫生物学研究会议 (GRC) 一直定期举行，旨在促进关于免疫系统如何正常运作、免疫反应如何出错以及如何利用免疫调节来发挥治疗优势的广泛知识交流。这些会议通常每两年举行一次，在此申请中，我们寻求对 2012 年免疫化学和免疫生物学 GRC 的支持。 2010年的会议由NIH资助，非常成功，在与会者提交的评估中获得了很高的评价。 我们为 2012 年会议准备了激动人心的议程（所有发言人均已确认）。与许多专注于专门免疫学主题的会议相比，2012 年免疫化学和免疫生物学 GRC 将以广泛覆盖先天性和适应性免疫为特色，并将涵盖从基本机制到应用研究的全部范围。会议说明可以在 GRC 网站上找到。 GRC 管理机构的理​​念帮助塑造了这一长期会议系列的独特特征，其特点有几个重要因素。首先，这是一次享有盛誉的会议，吸引了最有成就的研究人员。此外，这并不以牺牲初级研究人员的利益为代价，他们也作为受邀演讲者在该计划中得到了很好的体现。其次，这是一次规模相对较小的会议（最多 150 名与会者），在私密的环境（瑞士 Les Diablarets）中举行，与会者留在现场。 GRC 邀请的演讲者预计将参加整个会议，其费用报销取决于是否遵守此政策。参加整个会议的地点和道德规范使得初级调查人员和高级同事之间能够保持密切联系。第三，九个半天的会议涵盖了免疫学的广泛领域，重点关注最深入研究的问题。其他广泛涵盖免疫学的会议规模非常大，而较小的免疫学会议几乎总是关注免疫发展或细胞因子等子主题。第四，高度重视未发表材料的呈现。第五，会议的组织方式是民主的，得到了​​众多专家的意见，从而形成了方案。特别是，积极促进妇女和代表性不足的少数群体的参与。在此申请中，我们寻求对这一重要且享有盛誉的会议的支持。 公共卫生相关性：这是 NIH 支持会议的申请，该会议旨在总结了解免疫系统的最新进展，特别是支持初级研究人员的旅行。免疫系统每天保护我们免受疾病侵害，但它也可能功能异常，导致过敏和疾病，例如 I 型糖尿病、多发性糖尿病 硬化症和炎症性肠病。此次会议将汇集全球领先的免疫学专家，就基础研究和更多应用主题进行密切而深入的思想、技术和概念交流，以帮助推进该领域的知识发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The immune system has enormous impact on human health and well-being. The cells of the immune system patrol nearly every site in the body, acting as sentinels, defending against pathogens and disease. However, abnormal immune functions cause immune deficiency, autoimmunity and allergy and also contribute to other diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer. Thus, immune dysregulation figures prominently in many of the most common human diseases. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology has been held regularly since 1966 to foster a broad exchange of knowledge on how the immune system normally functions, how immune reactions may go awry, and how immune modulation may be used for therapeutic advantage. These meetings are typically held every two years, and in this application, we seek support for the 2012 GRC on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology. The 2010 meeting, which was funded by NIH, was very successful and received a high-performance rating in the evaluations submitted by the participants. We have assembled an exciting program for the 2012 meeting (all speakers confirmed). In contrast to many conferences that focus on specialized immunology topics, this 2012 GRC on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology will feature broad coverage of both innate and adaptive immunity, and will span the full spectrum of basic mechanisms to applied research. The meeting description can be found on the GRC website. The philosophy of the GRC governing body has helped shape the unique character of this longstanding meeting series, which is distinguished by several important factors. First, it is a prestigious meeting tha attracts the most accomplished investigators. Moreover, this is not at the expense of junior investigators, who are also well represented in the program as invited speakers. Second, it's a relatively small meeting (maximum 150 attendees), held in an intimate setting (Les Diablarets, Switzerland) with attendees staying on location. GRC invited speakers are expected to stay for the entire meeting and their expense reimbursements depend on abiding by this policy. The location and the ethic of attending the entire meeting allows for close contacts between junior investigators and their more senior colleagues. Third, the nine half day meeting sessions cover the broad field of immunology, focusing on the most intensely investigated issues. Other meetings that broadly cover immunology are very large, while smaller immunology meetings almost always focus on subtopics such as immune development or cytokines. Fourth, a strong emphasis is placed on the presentation of unpublished material. Fifth, the meeting has a democratic organization with input from a great many experts leading to the formation of the program. In particular, participation by women and underrepresented minorities is actively pursued. In this application, we seek support for this important and prestigious conference. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This is an application for NIH support for a meeting to summarize the latest advances in understanding the immune system, particularly to support the travel of junior investigators. The immune system protects us against disease every day, but it can also function improperly resulting in allergies and illnesses such as type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. The meeting will bring together leading immunology experts from across the globe for an intimate and intense exchange of ideas, techniques and concepts on both basic research, and more applied topics that will help to advance knowledge in the field.