CONFERENCE ABSTRACT R13 conference support is requested for the 10th Biennial Eosinophil Symposium ? ?Eosinophils 2017?, to be held from 19-23 July 2017 at the Elite Park Avenue Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden, under the auspices of the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES) (www.eosinophil-society.org). The meeting will host ~30 invited speakers and ~150 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 IES. The program will include sessions on: (1) eosinophils in host- parasite interactions, (2) eosinophils in gastrointestinal tract health and disease, 3) roles of eosinophils in metabolic regulation, (4) eosinophils in allergy and hypersensitivity, (5) eosinophils in innate, adaptive and autoimmunity, (5) eosinophil diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers, 6) regulation of eosinophil development, recruitment and survival, 7) eosinophilomics, 8) eosinophils and microbiomes, and 9) a session targeting junior investigators on methods 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 will be 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 symposium consists of plenary and poster sessions, with plenary sessions combining state-of-the-art talks from leaders in the field with cutting edge lectures on recent high impact studies, and include oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts. Two poster sessions have high priority, are unopposed and include ?tours? of high-impact studies. We have two prize lectures, the 7th Ehrlich award for the scientist who has made a major overall contribution to the field, and the Gleich award for the scientist with the highest impact paper published over the previous two years.
Significance Eosinophils are one of the white blood cells that are part of the immune response and protect us against infection. Eosinophils are thought to be protective against certain helminthic (worm) parasites. There is also evidence they protect us against some cancers and viral infections, as well as being involved in tissue remodelling and wound healing. Worm infections are the most common cause of a raised blood eosinophil count, and remain a global health problem affecting tens if not hundreds of millions of adults and children in the developing world. The immune response can sometimes over-react to otherwise harmless stimuli. The stimulus can come from outside (e.g. pollens) in which case it causes allergic disease, or inside the body where it causes autoimmune responses. Allergic disease is the commonest cause of eosinophil-mediated inflammation in the developed world, causing diseases such as asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, drug allergy, and skin allergy. As with helminthic worm disease, these conditions cause misery to many millions of adults and children. Eosinophil-associated disease is therefore globally common and potentially debilitating. To help counter these diseases, the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES) was formed in 1999 to foster research into eosinophil biology and the development of new strategies and medicines to treat eosinophil-associated disease. The major focus of the Society is a biennial international meeting. The purpose of the 10th International Eosinophil Symposium, ?Eosinophils 2017?, is to provide a venue for scientists and clinician- investigators interested in eosinophils to meet, exchange information and develop collaborations to advance research in the fields of eosinophil biology and pathogenesis of eosinophil-associated allergic and related diseases. The symposium showcases new research findings on all aspects of eosinophils and the diseases they impact. The 2017 conference will be particularly exciting, as new data from clinical trials of novel anti- eosinophilic and anti-inflammatory biologicals and drugs will be available. A priority for the meeting is to enable collaborations between junior and more established members of the eosinophil research community. Emphasis has been placed on unopposed poster sessions, opportunities for oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts, and informal sessions that create ?space? for enhancing scientific interactions among all participants.
