Immunochemistry & Immunobiology 2008 Gordon Research Conference

描述（由申请人提供）： 可能没有任何器官比免疫系统对人体健康的影响更大。免疫系统的细胞几乎在身体的每个部位巡逻，以抵御病原体。然而，可能发生免疫功能失调，并可能导致免疫缺陷、自身免疫或过敏。在过去的几十年里，关于免疫系统如何正常工作，免疫功能如何出错以及免疫调节如何用于治疗优势的知识激增。 免疫化学和免疫生物学戈登研究会议（GRC）自1966年以来一直定期举行。下一次会议计划于2008年8月在英国牛津大学Magdalen学院举行。GRC组织的理念帮助塑造了这一长期系列会议的独特性，这是由几个重要因素区分。首先，它是一个享有盛誉的场所，吸引了该领域最有成就的调查人员。这并不是以牺牲初级调查人员为代价的，他们也作为受邀演讲者在该计划中得到了很好的代表。其次，这是一个相对较小的会议（不到150名与会者），在一个学术城市举行，与会者留在会议地点。此外，在戈登会议上，受邀发言者预计将在整个会议期间逗留。参加整个会议的地点和道德允许初级研究人员与他们的高级同事之间进行密切接触。第三，九个半天的会议涵盖了广泛的免疫学领域，重点关注最激烈的研究“热点”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专注于免疫发育或细胞因子等子主题。第四，非常重视未出版材料的介绍。第五，会议有一个民主的组织，有许多专家的投入，导致方案的形成。特别是积极争取妇女和代表人数不足的少数群体的参与。在这份申请中，我们寻求对这一重要而有声望的会议的支持。这是一项建议，要求NIH支持召开一次会议，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感染，但它也可能功能不正常，导致过敏或慢性疾病，如I型糖尿病和多发性硬化症。会议将汇集世界领先的专家，就基础研究和更多应用主题的技术和概念进行密切和激烈的交流，这将有助于推进该领域的知识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There probably is no organ with a greater impact on human health than the immune system. The cells of the immune system patrol nearly every site in the body in order to defend against pathogens. Dysregulation of immune function can occur, however, and may result in immunodeficiency, autoimmunity or allergy. The last several decades have seen an explosion of knowledge regarding how the immune system functions normally, how immune function may go awry, and how immune modulation may be used for therapeutic advantage. The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology has been held regularly since 1966. The next meeting is planned for August 2008, at Magdalen College, Oxford, UK. The philosophy of the GRC organization has helped to shape the unique character of this longstanding meeting series, which is distinguished by several important factors. First, it is a prestigious venue that attracts the most accomplished investigators in the field. This is not at the expense of junior investigators, who are also well represented in the program as invited speakers. Second, it is a relatively small meeting (less than 150 attendees), held in an academic town with attendees staying at the meeting place. Moreover, at Gordon Conferences invited speakers are expected to stay for the entire meeting. 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 "hot" 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, prticipation by women and under represented minorities is actively sought. In this application, we seek support for this important and prestigious conference. This is a proposal 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 infections every day, but it can also function improperly, causing allergies or chronic diseases such as type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The meeting will bring together leading experts in the world for an intimate and intense exchange of techniques and concepts on both basic research and more applied topics that will help to advance knowledge in the field.