2011 Immunology of Fungal Infections Gordon Research Conference

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests partial support for a meeting on the Immunology of Fungal Diseases as part of a new Gordon Research Conference series to be held in Galveston, Texas, January 16 - 21, 2011. The broad and long-term goal of this conference is to bring together, for the first time, the world's leading researchers in this rapidly expanding field to foster cross-disciplinary discussions and collaborations, so as to enhance our understanding of anti-fungal immunity with the aim of developing new insights for controlling these pathogens. The specific aims of this meeting will be to convene over 40 leading experts that cover critical areas within this new field, with a total of 150 participants for a five-day conference in a relatively isolated setting. The program will be structured into nine sessions covering fungal pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPS), the mechanism of innate fungal recognition, the anti-fungal adaptive immune response and its regulation, organ- specific immunity, the effects of immunodeficiency and of immunomodulation on fungal diseases, immunity to specific fungal pathogens, and two sessions on translational research focused on immunotherapy and vaccination. In addition, afternoon poster sessions will permit all participants to contribute to these topics. Every effort will be made to encourage participation by postgraduate students and post-docs, to have parity in the numbers of women, and to include minorities and persons with disabilities. The significance of this application is that this Gordon Research Conference will provide the first-ever forum for bringing together and synergizing members of the international research community working on the immunology of fungal infections. The health relatedness of this application is that the discussions generated will help define the important questions relating to basic science but also those required for the development of novel strategies for immunotherapy; which are desperately required so as to reduce the very high levels of mortality associated with systemic forms of these devastating diseases. Project Narrative: Fungi are usually harmless in the context of normal host responses, but modern medical practices, a variety of surgical interventions, and the AIDS pandemic (particularly in third world countries), have led to immune deficiencies and susceptibility to fungal disease in a significant proportion of the patient population. Yeasts such as Candida are now fourth place on the list of the most frequent nosocomial sepsis agents in the USA, and there are about 700,000 cases of systemic and invasive Aspergillosis and over one million cases of cryptococcosis per year worldwide. Approximately half of the patients who suffer from invasive mycoses die from their disease, but despite their importance, the study of fungal infections has lagged behind those of other pathogens. The discussions of current research at this Gordon Research Conference will define important questions that need to be addressed for the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies for the control of fungal infections.