Stromal Cells in Immunity and Disease (Q5)

Stromal Cells in Immunity and Disease (Q5) is organized by Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology and will be held from Feb 19 - 23, 2020 at Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Description
Non-hematopoietic stromal cells play important roles in many tissues, constructing tissue microenvironments, contributing to tissue repair, defense and immune responses. Within lymphoid organs stromal cells organize and interact with leukocytes in an immunologically important manner. In addition to organizing T and B cell segregation and expressing lymphocyte survival factors, stromal cells support the migration and interactions between antigen presenting cells and naïve T and B cells during the initiation of immune responses and influence the outcome between tolerance and immunity. Stromal cells also play instrumental roles in coordinating immune responses in non-lymphoid tissues and in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and in chronic infection. Furthermore, stromal cells are being harnessed for therapeutic applications in several diseases, an area that holds great promise for improving human health. 

Our understanding of stromal cell populations and their contributions to innate and adaptive immunity as well as immunological diseases, cancer and vaccination has grown exponentially over the past few years. This emerging field has gained enormous momentum due to increasingly sophisticated tools to dissect the fundamental biology and clinical importance of this cellular compartment. This meeting, in conjunction with the joint meeting on fibrosis, will bring together basic and clinical scientists with interdisciplinary interests in stromal cell biology and disease treatment to discuss critical fundamental and translational advances. The goals of the meeting are to showcase cutting-edge results and new directions in the field, stimulate interactions and provide a forum for trainees and new investigators to present their work and interact with leaders in the field.

 Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.