 Meeting ObjectiveComparative Models of Immune response - Lake Arrowhead Conference Center operated by the University of California, Lake Arrowhead, CA
April 9-11, 2008
Meeting Summary: The study of comparative biological systems has given medicine insights into the complexity of immune function that are not available in the study of human subjects and are limited in many instances when studying small laboratory animals. Although inbred strains of mice and targeted mutant mice created by gene knockout have provided decades of detailed information, the study of large animals provides another platform with very important connotations for the development of pharmaceuticals, prophylactics and medical devices. In large mammals, for instance, gestation periods, neonatal development and maturation, and accumulative exposure to environmental antigens and pathogens are more applicable to humans than are laboratory rodents. Understanding the basic biology of the immune system has been greatly facilitated by the study of veterinary species, from the separation of T and B lymphocytes with the discovery that B cells develop in the Bursa of Fabricius and T cells in the thymus in avians to the identification of the first lenti virus, equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Large animals provide a unique opportunity to study uncommon cell types such as gamma/delta T cells in the periphery, comparative analysis of the development of B cell repertoires, the response to prion diseases, and in vivo analysis of innate immunity in normal verses gnotobiotic animals. The ability to do more sophisticated experiments in these species is being aided by an ongoing expansion of reagents for studying large animals and the development of animal strains, from minimally homozygous for the MHC to very nearly inbred. As resources are becoming more available for such studies, comparative immunology continues to provide unique and critical information about the immune system. This meeting is designed to provide a venue for the interaction of investigators studying human immune responses, rodent model systems and immune responses in livestock and companion pet species to develop new ideas and approaches through the understanding of comparative immunology.
The annual meeting of the AAI in 2008 is in conjunction with Experimental Biology in San Diego from April 5-9. For the two days immediately following the AAI meeting and with the sponsorship of Western University for Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and the USDA Office of Technology Transfer, we have organized a meeting designed to bring together investigators studying human immune responses, rodent model systems and immune responses in livestock species to develop new ideas and approaches through the understanding of comparative immunology. The heightened awareness of livestock immunology in the human biologics field will not only advance human vaccine and biologics development, but by broadening the interest and funding of research in large animal and avian species, animal health will benefit greatly. The meeting is at a remote, all inclusive venue that can accommodate up to 200 participants. Registration is $375 and includes the meeting, room for 2 nights and all meals. More details can be obtained at the web site, www.westernu.edu/cmir. All sessions will have invited speakers and speakers chosen from the abstracts. Posters will be up for viewing the entire meeting.
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