All listings subject to change.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM ET
Chinese Society for Immunology (CSI) Symposium
Long Noncoding RNA and cGAS Regulation of the Immune Response
Chairs:
- Bing Sun, Chinese Acad. of Sci., China
- Yuting Ma, Chinese Acad. of Med. Sci. & Peking Union Med. Col., China
Speakers:
- Yuting Ma, Chinese Acad. of Med. Sci. & Peking Union Med. Col., China, Stress–glucocorticoid–TSC22D3 axis compromises therapy-induced antitumor immunity
- Erwei Song, Sun Yat-Sen Univ., China, NKILA lncRNA promotes tumor immune evasion by sensitizing T cells to activation-induced cell death
- Mian Wu, Univ. of Sci. and Technol. of China, China, The lncRNA Neat1 promotes activation of inflammasomes in macrophages
- Tao Li, Natl. Ctr. of Biomed. Analysis, China, Acetylation blocks cGAS activity and inhibits self DNA-induced autoimmunity
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM ET
Morning Yoga
Generously supported by Life Diagnostics, Inc.
Join us every morning for a 30-minute yoga-and-mindfulness session. We experience distractions and stressors that pull our attention in many directions. This class will relax you and prepare you to be fully present before engaging in your selected sessions during the day ahead.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM ET
Meet the Editor-in-Chief
Meet the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Immunology,
Eugene M. Oltz, at the AAI Journals Booth
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM ET
Exhibitor Workshops
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Zoonotic Pandemics—Immune Factors Contributing to Pathogenesis and Protection
Sponsored by the AAI Veterinary Immunology Committee
Chairs:
- Crystal L. Loving, USDA, ARS, Natl. Animal Dis. Ctr., AAI Veterinary Immunology Committee Chair
- Jodi McGill, Iowa State Univ. Coll. of Vet. Med.
Speakers:
- Ilhem Messaoudi, Univ. of California, Irvine, Mechanisms of filovirus disease pathogenesis and protection mediated by rVSV vaccination strategies
- James E. Crowe, Vanderbilt Univ. Med. Ctr., Paramyxovirus zoonotic viruses transmitting from bats to humans
- Cody Jay Warren, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, Identification of a primate hemorrhagic fever virus fully competent for replication in human cells
- Juliet Morrison, Univ. of California, Riverside, Cellular drivers of recovery from influenza virus infection
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unfortunate example of the negative impacts of a novel, zoonotic virus on human health. Recurring filovirus outbreaks and emergence of novel zoonotic viruses from animal reservoirs continues to pose a threat to human health. Investigation into animal sources of novel viruses and the role of the immune system in protection against re-emerging pathogens are critical to preparedness when outbreaks occur. The symposia will highlight different zoonotic viruses and highlight key immune factors playing a role in either pathogenesis or protection.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Panel Discussion: Minority Scientists’ Experience: Challenging and Overcoming Barriers to Enhancing Diversity and Career Advancement
Sponsored by the AAI Minority Affairs Committee
Chairs:
- Tonya J. Webb, Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med., AAI Minority Affairs Committee Chair
- Harlan P. Jones, Univ. of North Texas Hlth. Sci. Ctr.
Panelists:
- Cherié L. Butts, Biogen, The importance of fostering a health equity mindset across the biomedical research ecosystem
- Mireia Guerau-de-Arellano, The Ohio State Univ., How to be an ally in front of microaggressions
- Harlan P. Jones, Univ. of North Texas Hlth. Sci. Ctr., Creating self-efficacy and persistence by engaging in a community of practice
- Luis J. Montaner, Wistar Inst., Does the minority status help or hurt in career advancement? My experience from student to chaired professor
- Luis A. Sanchez-Perez, Tune Therapeutics, Be mentored, be present, be a leader… How becoming a leader promotes diversity and career advancement in academia or industry
Today’s urgent national attention on race and racism challenges institutions and individuals, including scientists, to contribute their voices and actions to ending the toll racism takes on society and science careers. In this important and timely discussion, panelists will draw from their experiences and share their perspectives on strategies for dealing with barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion that persist in society and science. This session, open to all meeting attendees, is intended to provoke dialogue on the part of all participants about the individual and institutional actions—and inaction—that perpetuate barriers to career advancement.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
American Society of Transplantation (AST) Symposium
Immune Tolerance: New Mechanisms and Barriers
Chairs:
- Olivia M. Martinez, Stanford Univ. Sch. of Med.
- Maria-Luisa Alegre, Univ. of Chicago
Speakers:
- Dan Kreisel, Washington Univ. Sch. of Med., Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue and lung tolerance
- Joren C. Madsen, Massachusetts General Hosp., Differential organ-specific susceptibility to tolerance
- Anita S. Chong, Univ. of Chicago, Pregnancy-induced T cell tolerance and B cell sensitization
- Mandy L. Ford, Emory Univ. Sch. of Med., Facilitating transplantation tolerance via FcγRIIB
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) Symposium
Adaptation of T Cells to Chronic Inflammation
Chairs:
- Andreas Radbruch, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, Germany
- Pablo Engel, Univ. of Barcelona, Spain
Speakers:
- Federica Sallusto, Univ. della Svizzera italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland, T cell dysregulation in chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis
- Winfried F. Pickl, Med. Univ. of Vienna, Austria, Th-IL-2 cells: Characterization and role of a new T helper cell type in allergic immune reactions
- Cornelia M. Weyand, Stanford Univ. Sch. of Med., Mitochondria and lysosomes in proinflammatory T cells
- Klaas P.J.M. van Gisbergen, Univ. of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leaving home: a role for tissue-resident memory T cells in systemic immunity
- Francesco Siracusa, Univ. Med. Ctr. Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, CD4+ T cells dynamically respond to short-term exposure to feast diets
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
International Complement Society (ICS) Symposium
Complement: Alive and Kicking!
Chairs:
- Claudia Kemper, NHLBI, NIH
- Trent M. Woodruff, Univ. of Queensland, Australia
Speakers:
- Trent M. Woodruff, Univ. of Queensland, Australia, From the beginning to the end: the complement system in neural development and degeneration
- Lubka T. Roumenina, Cordeliers Res. Ctr., France, Context-dependent roles of complement in cancer
- Diana Karpman, Lund Univ., Sweden, Complement-mediated kidney diseases
- Marina Noris, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche, Italy, Complement, endothelial injury, and thrombosis in COVID-19 patients
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
The Obesity Society (TOS) Symposium
Immune Infiltrates and Adipocyte Crosstalk in the Microenvironment of Breast and Ovarian Cancers
Chairs:
- Gerald V. Denis, Boston Univ. Sch. of Med.
- Robin E. Bachelder, Duke Univ.
Speakers:
- Robin E. Bachelder, Duke Univ., Fat matters: contributions of breast adipose tissue to breast cancer progression
- Naser Jafari, Boston Univ. Sch. of Med., BET bromodomain protein regulation of immune exhaustion in triple negative breast cancer
- Laurie H. Sanders, Duke Univ., LRRK2 and inflammation in breast cancer
- Ernst Lengyel, Univ. of Chicago, The role of activated adipocytes in tumor metastasis
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM ET
Distinguished Lecture—Dario A.A. Vignali
Generously supported by Bio X Cell
Chairs:
- David Masopust, Univ. of Minnesota, AAI Program Committee Chair
- Troy D. Randall, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
Speaker:
Dario A. A. Vignali
Univ. of Pittsburgh Sch. of Med.
Immune inhibitory mechanisms in cancer
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET
Block Symposia
Innate Mechanisms in Autoimmunity
Generously supported by Sony Biotechnology
COVID and FRIENDS
Generously supported by Miltenyi Biotec
Immune Effects of Anti-Cancer Therapies
Generously supported by Thermo Fisher Scientific
T Cell Memory and Differentiation
Generously supported by Bio-Rad Laboratories
Mucosal Infection and Inflammation
Generously supported by Ionpath
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM ET
AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award Presentation and Lecture
Generously supported by BD Biosciences
Chairs:
- Jenny P.-Y. Ting, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AAI President (2020–2021)
- Jeremy M. Boss, Emory Univ. Sch. of Med., AAI President (2019–2020)
Award Recipient:
Erika L. Pearce
Bloomberg-Kimmel Inst. for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins Univ.
Metabolic regulation of T cell function
Recognizes an early-career investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of immunology
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
Exhibitor Workshop
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET
Exhibitor Workshop
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
2021 AAI President’s Symposium
The Impact of Immunology on Health and Diseases: As Far as the Eye Can See
Generously supported by Miltenyi Biotec
Chair:
- Jenny P.-Y. Ting, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AAI President (2020–2021)
Speakers:
Etty (Tika) N. Benveniste
Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
Neutrophil involvement in autoimmune neuroinflammation
Mary N. Carrington
NCI, NIH
The impact of immunogenetic variation on functional characteristics of the immune response
Blossom A. Damania
Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Modulation of host immunity by human herpesviruses
Laurie H. Glimcher
Dana Farber Cancer Inst.
Stressed out: a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM ET
Exhibitor Workshop
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM ET
Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) Symposium
The Bone and Sinew of the Cell: Cytoskeletal Processes in Immunity
Chairs:
- Judith N. Mandl, McGill Univ., Canada
- Michael R. Gold, Univ. of British Columbia, Canada
Speakers:
- Spencer A. Freeman, SickKids Res. Inst., Canada, Solute flux and fluid dynamics in the endocytic pathway of macrophages
- Thomas T. Murooka, Univ. of Manitoba, Canada, 3D cellular dynamics during HIV infection
- Judith N. Mandl, McGill Univ., Canada, From cell migration to T cell responses: what could go wrong?
- Emily M. Mace, Columbia Univ., Novel cytoskeletal requirements for human NK cell migration and function
- Valentin Jaumouillé, Simon Fraser Univ., Canada, Mechanical coupling of complement receptors to the cytoskeleton drives phagocytosis
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM ET
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH Symposium
Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Chairs:
- Chao Jiang, NIAID, NIH
- Shane Crotty, La Jolla Inst. for Immunology
Speakers:
- E. John Wherry, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Immune profiling of COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination
- Bali Pulendran, Stanford Univ. Sch. of Med., Systems immunology of COVID-19 infection and vaccination
- Ignacio Sanz, Emory Univ. Sch. of Med., B cell responses in COVID-19 infection
- Shane Crotty, La Jolla Inst. for Immunology, Immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM ET
Block Symposia
B Cell Regulation and Responses
Generously supported by BioLegend
Novel Technologies to Interrogate Anti-Tumor Immunity and Therapy Response
Generously supported by BD Biosciences
Molecular and Metabolic Control of Innate Immunity
Generously supported by STEMCELL Technologies
Novel Therapeutic Approaches for the Modulation of Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET
Poster Sessions
Tregs and Tolerance in Autoimmunity
Immunology Education
Autoimmunity and Primary Immune Deficiency
Tissue Resident Immune Cells
Understanding and Modulating Lymphocytes in Tumor Immunology
Tumor Microenvironment and Anti-Tumor Immunity
Novel Strategies for the Vaccination and Immunotherapy against Infectious Diseases
Engineered T Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy
CD4+ T cell Regulation and Responses
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM ET
How to Have a Successful Postdoctoral Experience
Chair:
- Mary T. Litzinger, AAI
Speaker:
- Lori Conlan, Office of Postdoctoral Services, NIH
A postdoctoral fellowship is the time to develop research skills you will need to succeed as an independent scientist. It is, however, just as important to realize that you need to prepare for a career path at the same time. This session will highlight ways of getting the most out of your postdoctoral fellowship, relating successfully with your mentor, and understanding how to use the resources available to you to ensure that your training prepares you adequately for a seamless transition into the next phase of your career.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
Brew Bash
Raise a glass and join this virtual brew-tasting experience led by a certified Cicerone. Enjoy a discussion of the beer-making process and specific nuances and traits of each style of beer. Plus, you'll be able to ask the Cicerone anything from craft beer trends to food pairing!
(Please drink responsibly.)
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET
Chinese Society of Immunology, Taiwan (CSIT) Symposium
Inflammation and Immunity
Chairs:
- Huey-Kang Sytwu, Natl. Hlth. Res. Inst., Taiwan
- Shie-Liang Hsieh, Academia Sinica, Inst. of Biomedical Sci., Taiwan
Speakers:
- Ya-Jen Chang, Academia Sinica, Inst. of Biomedical Sci., Taiwan, Regulation of group 2 innate lymphoid cells by microbial-derived products
- Li-Chung Hsu, Natl. Taiwan Univ., Taiwan, A novel terminal uridyltransferase controls TLR4-triggered inflammation
- Nien-Jung Chen, Natl. Yang-Ming Univ., Taiwan, TREM2-mediated iNOS induction regulates inflammation in diseases
- Huey-Kang Sytwu, Natl. Hlth. Res. Inst., Taiwan, Blimp-1 counterbalances c-Maf-driven IL-21 in an autoregulatory circuit