240 delegates from all around the world gathered in a wintry Ghent for the 2nd edition of Type 2 Immunity in Homeostasis and Disease, a conference organized by VIB in partnership with Cell Press. The conference program included 20 top speakers, including De'Broski R. Herbert, Stephanie Eisenbarth, Federica Sallusto, Masaru Ishii, Richard M. Locksley, and many more.
Upcoming researchers presented their data as well in the 88 poster presentations and 4 selected talks. Cell Press awarded the two best poster presenters with prizes. This year's winners were Agnieszka Kabat (Johns Hopkins University, US) and Anne-Marie Levins (Imperial College London, UK).
You can find the photo report of the event here.
Impressions of the conference reporters
Our two conference reporters, Paul J Collins(@pauljc98) and Kate J Waller (@Kate_J_Waller), both from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, covered the event live on Twitter. They've also summarized their experiences and insights below:
Paul: “Functions of the cytokine and alarmin IL-33, which shape type 2 cytokine production, were a common theme over the two days of talks and poster sessions. De’Broski R. Herbert spoke about the little-known concept of IL-33 production during steady-state conditions. In his fascinating and wide-ranging talk, he also argued that the cellular context in which IL-33 is expressed has a profound impact on anti-helminth immunity, with epithelium-derived IL-33 having a pro-inflammatory role, while myeloid cell-derived IL-33 is anti-inflammatory.
Anne Sperling continued the trend, kicking off the second day’s program by presenting evidence that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-33 gene and the gene encoding its receptor ST2, are independently associated with elevated serum IL-33 in asthma patients."
Getting inspiration from leading researchers
Paul: "A personal highlight was the enthralling talk from Camilla Jandus, who discussed how the T cell: MDSC ratio is predictive of survival in bladder cancer patients, and is dependent on IL-13 production by type 2 innate lymphoid cells.
How exposure to environmental triggers shapes immune responses, particularly in the context of allergic diseases, was also a common theme over the conference. Hamida Hammad presented a huge body of work on how type 2 immune cells and IL-33 shape the alveolarization of the lung during early life, and the impact of perturbations in this process on the development of airway allergic disease.
With far too many fabulous talks from invited speakers and selected abstracts to mention, I can only say that every speaker contributed to maintaining the standard of novel research at an extraordinarily high level. This was matched by the venue, De Bijloke, doing a magnificent job of hosting the conference… as well as keeping us warm and cozy despite the freezing temperatures!”
Kate: “I had a great time being a conference reporter for this year’s Type 2 Immunity Conference, it allowed me the opportunity to interact with a very diverse and active community separate from my normal remit. The speakers had a breadth of expertise and delivered dynamic, enthusiastic talks! Upon entering the Muziekcentrum De Bijloke I was struck by the impressive venue and, the acoustics, as expected, was fantastic.
Whilst all talks gave me something to think about, for me the talk by Henrique Veiga-Fernandes “Neuronal regulation of innate lymphoid cells” was particularly interesting. Specifically, the role of ILC2s in lipid metabolism and how a lack of IL-33 (a potent activator of ILC2s) reduces steatosis and gluconeogenesis. This has given me food for thought for my research and things to apply in the future.
As a dendritic cell enthusiast, I was also not disappointed by the talk given by Franca Ronchese on the second day entitled “Regulation of DC2 differentiation and function by dermal cytokines”. The heterogeneity of DCs has been a hot topic recently, so it was interesting to hear her insights into DC2 heterogeneity in the skin."
Highlighting long-term implications of environmental triggers
Kate: "In a broader context, I was struck by the profound long-term implications of environmental triggers from everyday modern life i.e. the absence of a farm upbringing (Hamida Hammad: Neonatal exposure to environmental triggers influences type 2 immunity to allergens), the presence of antibiotics (Benjamin Marsland: The gut-lung axis: how early life perturbation of the microbiome influences Type 2 inflammation) and the use of detergents (Cezmi Akdis: Epithelial Barrier Theory and Immune Regulation). Having just learned we consume approximately a credit card’s worth of microplastics a week, I am beginning to seriously question the implications of modern living!
Overall I have been left with new concepts and ideas as well as a broader understanding of allergy research, I would highly recommend this to people in the future!”
You can find more info about the conference on its website here:
