Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Innate Immunity, Metabolism and Vascular Injury, organized by Ajay Chawla, Peter Tontonoz and Gwendalyn J. Randolph. The meeting will be held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 23-28, 2014. A chronic low-grade inflammatory response is a defining feature of various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including atherosclerosis, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. This smoldering inflammation in tissues, whether it is in the vascular bed, white adipose tissue or perivascular fat, is primarily mediated by the innate immune system. Consequently, this meeting will bring together leading investigators in areas of macrophage biology, vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, and obesity-induced metabolic disease. Sessions will encompass a broad range of topics highlighting the importance of and mechanisms by which innate immunity contributes to progression of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including monocyte development and trafficking, macrophage activation in vascular bed and adipose tissues, and systems biology of myeloid cells. Exciting new developments in sensing of metabolic stress by inflammasomes, clearance of apoptotic cells by macrophages, and initiation of necrotic cell death programs will also be discussed. These basic studies will be complemented by talks discussing new strategies for promoting plaque regression, and targeting innate inflammation to treat insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Opportunities for interdisciplinary interactions will be significantly enhanced by the concurrent meeting on Complications of Diabetes, which will share a two plenary sessions with this meeting.
A chronic low-grade inflammatory response is a defining feature of various metabolic diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis, obesity, and type 2 diabetes), which are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A better understanding of the basic biology of innate inflammation holds the promise of identifying new therapeutic targets and modalities to treat these chronic metabolic disorders. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Innate Immunity, Metabolism and Vascular Injury will bring together leading investigators in areas of macrophage biology, vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, and obesity-induced metabolic disease to share and discuss the latest ideas in these interdisciplinary fields.
