Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells (A4)

Infections that are encountered through epithelial barrier tissues such as the skin, gut, lung and genitourinary tract generate a population of tissue-resident T cells that remain sessile long-term in the affected tissue, and are protective against re-infection. Indeed, most effector memory T cells reside in non-sterile barrier epithelial tissues, as opposed to the circulation.
While tissue-resident T cells play a critical role in defending against infections and cancer, aberrant activation of these cells gives rise to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. Tissue-resident T cells are not simply T cells in an unexpected location; these cells have many phenotypic and functional differences that distinguish them from circulating T cells.
This conference will bring together basic and translational immunologists to discuss tissue-localized mechanisms of immune cell recruitment, retention, activation and homeostasis.
The major objectives will be to:
1) Explore the roles that tissue immune cells play in immune surveillance, including recall responses to infectious pathogens, and mechanisms of dysregulation leading to autoimmune disease;
2) Examine the mechanisms by which immune responses can be shaped by the local tissue microbiome;
3) Investigate the mechanisms by which immune responses can be subverted by chronic infections or early neoplastic lesions; and
4) Discuss the rationale for immunotherapeutic strategies targeting specific tissue sites. A better understanding of the biology of tissue-resident T cells will inform vaccination strategies for both infections and cancer, as well as novel therapies for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.