This proposal requests funds to support a workshop entitled """"""""Rediscovering B cells: Protective and Pathogenic? Roles in Infectious and Autoimmune diseases"""""""" held on October 5-7, 2006 at the Trudeau Institute, a not-forprofit? research institute focused on understanding basic immune mechanisms of immunity to infectious? disease. This meeting will be the fifth in a series of biannual immunology workshops held at the Trudeau? Institute. Past meetings have been well-attended and enthusiastically received by the participants. The current? workshop will gather approximately 60 investigators in an informal setting to discuss current topics related to? the biology of B cells in infection and autoimmune disease. The goal is to identify, review and discuss the most? important unanswered questions in the field. We feel that this workshop fills an important unmet need in the? immunology community by focusing exclusively on the biological function of B cells in infectious and? autoimmune disease. In fact, B cells have been shown to alter the course of infectious and autoimmune? diseases independently of antibody production, promote the development of ectopic lymphoid tissues at sites? of inflammation and produce cytokines that regulate T cell and dendritic cell function. Therefore, the current? workshop will focus on elucidating the multiple roles (both antibody dependent and independent) that B cells? play in regulating immune responses to pathogens, allergens, autoantigens and vaccines at both systemic and? mucosal sites. The format of this meeting will be a series of 5-10 minute talks organized around key questions,? with the emphasis placed on discussion and interaction rather than formal presentations. Participants are? given the opportunity to suggest topics for discussion and to present data in any session(s) of their choice. The? actual program will be developed based on input from both participants and organizers. Although mostly senior? investigators have been invited to the workshop, we have also invited several investigators who are still in the? early stages of their careers, but who are poised to make significant contributions to the area of B cell biology.? This proposal requests funds to support the attendance of five of these early-career investigators.
