: Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Type 2 Immunity: Initiation, Maintenance, Homeostasis and Pathology, organized by Richard M. Locksley and Judith E. Allen. The meeting will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from January 10 - 15, 2013. Diseases associated with allergy and asthma are increasing in developed countries, with great consequences to health care costs. Often, these diseases reflect pathologic outcomes of type 2 immunity, and are characterized by infiltration of tissues with Th2 cells and eosinophils, by elevations in serum IgE, and by alterations in epithelial and mucosal biology. These responses did not evolve to cause allergies, and clues to the evolutionary pressure to maintain this type of immune response may exist in the response to intestinal helminths, which cause chronic infestations in all vertebrate species on earth. This meeting will bring together scientists from diverse disciplines to discuss new findings in type 2 immunity that suggest close associations of these responses with tissue homeostasis, mucosal microbiomes, and immune integrity that optimize overall fitness of the organism. The goals of this meeting are as follows: 1) to identify gaps in our understanding of type 2 immunity and facilitate future research advances in the field;2) to promote the development of novel therapeutic strategies against diseases associated with type 2 immunity;and 3) to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations and establish an on-going dialogue for future research. Opportunities for interdisciplinary interactions will be significantly enhanced by the concurrent meeting on Pathogenic Processes in Asthma and COPD, which will share a keynote address and two plenary sessions with this meeting. Public Health Relevance: Type 2 - or allergic - immunity is among the most widespread manifestation of chronic inflammatory conditions of humans. In developed countries, asthma, eczema and food allergies have increased over the past few decades to become the most prevalent chronic illnesses of childhood, with substantial economic costs approaching $20 billion in the United States alone. Although the involvement of allergic immunity with parasitic worm infection and allergies is well known, the reasons underlying these associations remain unclear. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Type 2 Immunity: Initiation, Maintenance, Homeostasis and Pathology will gather parasitologists, immunologists, allergists, pulmonologists and endocrinologists to share knowledge and insights that may come to bear on new therapeutic strategies for these important human diseases.
Type 2 - or allergic - immunity is among the most widespread manifestation of chronic inflammatory conditions of humans. In developed countries, asthma, eczema and food allergies have increased over the past few decades to become the most prevalent chronic illnesses of childhood, with substantial economic costs approaching $20 billion in the United States alone. Although the involvement of allergic immunity with parasitic worm infection and allergies is well known, the reasons underlying these associations remain unclear. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Type 2 Immunity: Initiation, Maintenance, Homeostasis and Pathology will gather parasitologists, immunologists, allergists, pulmonologists and endocrinologists to share knowledge and insights that may come to bear on new therapeutic strategies for these important human diseases.
