2012 Immunochemistry and Immunobiology Gordon Research Conference

说明(申请人提供)：免疫系统对人类健康和福祉有巨大影响。免疫系统的细胞几乎在身体的每一个部位巡逻，充当哨兵，抵御病原体和疾病。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占有重要地位。戈登免疫化学和免疫生物学研究会议(GRC)自1966年以来一直定期举行，以促进关于免疫系统如何正常运作、免疫反应可能如何出错以及免疫调节如何用于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年的会议由国立卫生研究院资助，非常成功，在与会者提交的评价中获得了很高的表现评级。我们已经为2012年的会议制定了一个令人兴奋的计划(所有发言者都已确认)。与许多专注于专门免疫学主题的会议不同，2012年关于免疫化学和免疫生物学的GRC将广泛涵盖天然免疫和获得性免疫，并将涵盖从基本机制到应用研究的所有范围。会议说明可在GRC网站上找到。GRC理事机构的理念帮助形成了这一长期会议系列的独特特点，其特点有几个重要因素。首先，这是一次有声望的会议，吸引了最有成就的调查人员。此外，这并不是以初级调查人员为代价的，他们在节目中也作为特邀演讲者得到了很好的代表。其次，这是一个相对较小的会议(最多150人参加)，在一个亲密的环境(瑞士暗黑军团)举行，与会者留在现场。GRC邀请的演讲者预计将在整个会议期间留下来，他们的费用报销取决于遵守这一政策。参加整个会议的地点和道德使初级调查人员与他们的较资深同事之间有了密切的联系。第三，九个半天的会议涵盖了免疫学的广泛领域，集中讨论了最密切调查的问题。其他涵盖免疫学的会议规模很大，而规模较小的免疫学会议几乎总是集中在免疫发展或细胞因子等副主题上。第四，高度重视未出版材料的编排。第五，会议有一个民主的组织，有许多专家的意见，导致了方案的形成。特别是，积极争取妇女和代表不足的少数群体的参与。在此申请中，我们寻求对这一重要和享有盛誉的会议的支持。 与公共卫生相关：这是为一次会议申请NIH支持，以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的侵袭，但它也可能不正常地发挥作用，导致过敏和疾病，如I型糖尿病、多发性 硬化症和炎症性肠病。这次会议将汇集来自世界各地的领先免疫学专家，就基础研究和更多有助于促进该领域知识的应用主题进行密切和紧张的思想、技术和概念交流。

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.