The Upstate New York Immunology Conference (NYIC) provides a forum for immunologists from the Upstate New York research community to interact on an annual basis. The goal of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for members of the Upstate New York immunology community, including faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and students, to present and discuss their research, exchange ideas, and develop collaborations. This conference has been in existence for six (6) years, beginning modestly in 1998 as """"""""The Northern New York Immunology Retreat"""""""" at Garnet Hill Lodge, North River, NY. The 1998 meeting included 53 participants from three (3) institutions. The next meeting will be held November 14-16, 2004, on the shores of Lake George at The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, NY. It is anticipated that for the 2004 meeting, there will be approximately 125 participants from Albany Medical College, the New York Public Health Laboratories Wadsworth Center for Research, the Trudeau Institute, SUNY Upstate Medical University, the University of Rochester, Cornell University, Roswell Park Cancer Center, the University of New York at Buffalo, SUNY Stony Brook, the University of Vermont, and Dartmouth Medical School. In addition, there will be two (2) keynote speakers. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Leo Lefrancois from the University of Connecticut, and Dr. Christine Biron, from Brown University. All those wishing to attend ? will be accommodated within the Sagamore Resort's 340 rooms and extensive conference facilities. The focus of the meeting varies from year to year depending upon the individual participants and normally includes a range of topics. This year's topics will be: Advances in Biotechnology, Immune Regulation, Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, The Immune Response to Infection, and Strategies in Immunotherapy. ? ?