The ThymUS 2016 International Conference on Lymphopoiesis, T cell Differentiation and Immune Reconstitution will be held in Wailea Beach, HI from June 5-10, 2016. This is the fifth iteration of this conference, which is the only US-based conference specifically dedicated to the topic of the thymus and T lymphocyte differentiation, and how these processes are altered during aging and by disease. The conference therefore has a unique scientific content, addressing the highly dynamic and prolific field of adaptive immunity, thymus organogenesis, and T cell development and differentiation, and is relevant for resistance to infection, immune homeostasis from birth to aging, immune reconstitution after therapeutic or pathologic T cell ablation, self-tolerance, and autoimmunity. Importantly, the conference provides several unparalleled features, including (i) a singular focus on thymus biology, which is unique in the Americas; (ii) low cost to all attendees, with additional subsidies provided to trainees; (iii) an extremely rich array of unbiased presentation opportunities, with special attention to trainees; (iv) a highly stimulating informal interactive environment, providin trainees with access to leaders in the field for the duration of the conference; and (v) linkage to an industry-sponsored Society of Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) conference on immune-therapy in cancer to place in clinical context the basic science findings presented at ThymUS.
This conference will promote the vigorous exchange of scientific information and highlight relevant therapeutic advances in thymus biology between US, European, Australian and Asian scientists, and will enable trainees to display their research to, and advance their careers in contact with, senior scientists from these countries. This will lead to new insights into the mechanistic bases for immunity to infection, autoimmunity, and immune tolerance in cancer.
| Cowan, Jennifer; Bhandoola, Avinash (2016) Progress on thymic function from Maui. Nat Immunol 17:1129-32 |
