CONFERENCE ABSTRACT R13 conference support is requested for the 11th Biennial Eosinophil Symposium ? ?Eosinophils 2019?, to be held July 9-13, 2019 at the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Oregon, USA under the auspices of the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES). The meeting will host ~35 invited speakers and ~120 additional participants who submit abstracts for presentation. A cutting edge program of basic, translational and clinical research has been prepared by the Local Organizing Committee in consultation with the Scientific Program Committee of the IES. The program includes sessions on: 1) eosinophils across species? physiological roles, evolution, choice of animal models, 2) eosinophil life cycle?hematopoiesis, recruitment, activation and death, 3) eosinophils and host defense, 4) depleting eosinophils?cost vs. benefit, 5) eosinophils and nerves, 6) eosinophils and metabolic disease, 7) eosinophils in chronic inflammatory diseases?asthma, GI tract, 8) eosinophils in cancer, 9) the now and future of eosinophils as a drug targets, and 10) state-of-the-art methods, animal models and resources for studying eosinophils, The goal of this conference is to provide a highly interactive, interdisciplinary forum for scientific exchange amongst junior and established scientists in the fields of allergy, immunology, microbiology, hematology and cancer in relation to the roles of eosinophils in health and disease. A primary objective is to bring together basic scientists with expertise in eosinophil biology, and clinician investigators interested in eosinophil-associated diseases, to improve understanding of disease mechanisms, significance of eosinophil functions, and foster translational research. A second objective is to foster the development and interests of younger investigators to help support their careers, creating a new generation of ?eosinophiles?. To accomplish this, the meeting has a Keystone-like-structure with all participants in a single venue, sharing meals and accommodations on the same footing, encouraging informal interactions. There will be an emphasis through both the scientific and social programs on creating a global community for eosinophil scientists. This meeting is particularly timely because data from current clinical trials of new biological therapies, which directly or indirectly block eosinophil-mediated inflammatory pathways, are now providing definitive data on the roles of eosinophils in human health and disease. The symposium, with its strong emphasis on inter-disciplinary research, covers important global diseases including asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, parasitic diseases and hypereosinophilic syndromes. The format includes plenary and poster sessions, with plenary sessions covering state-of-the-art topics by leaders in the field followed by cutting edge presentations on recent high impact studies, and oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts. Two poster sessions have high priority, are unopposed and include presentations of high-impact studies. Two prize lectures are included, the 8th Ehrlich award for a scientist who has made a major overall contribution to the field, and the Gleich Award for a scientist with the highest impact paper published over the previous two years.
Significance Eosinophils are one of the white blood cells that protect us against infections, some cancers, and help with wound healing, but they can also contribute to diseases including asthma. The major focus of the International Eosinophil Society is to organize a biennial meeting, the purpose of which is to provide a venue for 150-200 scientists, clinician-investigators, and trainees interested in eosinophils to meet, exchange information and develop collaborations to advance research in the fields of eosinophil biology and pathogenesis of eosinophil- associated diseases. The 11th symposium, to be held in Portland, Oregon in July 2019, will be particularly exciting, as new data from clinical trials using novel anti-eosinophilic and anti-inflammatory biologicals and drugs will be available.
