Dr Valerie Corrigall, KCL School of Medicine at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, London, UK
Translational research, from bench to bedside, has many difficulties not least due to the differences that arise following the transfer from in vitro to in vivo systems across species. Our research with BiP has involved human in vitro, murine in vivo and a human/murine xenogeneic ex vivo models. Throughout our investigations we have shown a consistency in the pattern of cytokine production induced by BiP with sustained IL-10 production in conjunction with increased TH2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-5, and downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF alpha. This anti-inflammatory cytokine profile is at least partially responsible for the immunomodulatory characteristics of BiP.
10:30 – 11:00 Th17: a missing link in immunity
Dr Marc Veldhoen, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, UK
11:00- 11:10 Speakers photo
11:10 – 11:30 Mid-morning break and poster viewing
11:30 – 12:00 KeyNote Speaker
Talk title to be confirmed
Professor Berent Prakken, University Medical Centre Utrecht , The Netherlands
12:00 – 12:30 Flow cytometry to analyse T cell subsets in tissue & Th17 cells
Dr Alistair Noble, King's College London
Direct ex vivo analysis of T cell subsets in inflamed peripheral tissues by intracellular cytokine staining can be hampered by high background staining and low percentages of cytokine-positive cells. We have analysed T cell cytokine phenotypes in allergic airway disease and obtained cytokine profiles of T cell subsets during the acute and chronic stages of inflammation. Despite low levels of secreted IL-17 in lavage fluid at the acute stage we demonstrated the predominance of the CD4 Th17 subset in inflamed lung tissue and in the airways. Collaboration between Th17 and Th2 cells in the lung may regulate the progression of asthmatic disease via remodelling of the airways.
12:30–13:30 Lunch and Poster Viewing
13:30 - 14: 30 Question and Answer Session
Delegates will be asked to submit questions to a panel of experts. Questions can be submitted before the event or on the day
14:30 – 15:00 Cytokine secretion for the isolation of antigen specific T cells - from rare cell analysis to cellular therapuetics
Dr John Campell – Miltenyi Biotec Ltd, Surrey, UK
Antigen-specific T cells secrete cytokines in response to stimulation with their cognate antigen. Using the cytokine capture system, we can harness this to examine and isolate antigen specific T cells even at very low frequencies from complex mixtures. The ultimate application of this is in the clinical-grade isolation of antigen-specific T cells for therapeuetic use. Here I will discuss the applications of this technology in both the diagnostic and therapeutic settings.
15:00 – 15:30 Afternoon Tea/Coffee and Last Poster Viewing
15:30 – 16:00 Cytokine-based strategies for diagnostics and therapeutics in autoimmune disease
Professor Mark Peakman, Kings College, London
Type 1 diabetes arises when the immune system becomes poorly regulated and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas, which make insulin, a hormone that controls blood glucose levels and is therefore vital to life. The immune attack is the result of a genetic predisposition, and is probably triggered by a common environmental insult. Our research focuses on the role of autoreactive T cells in this process and in recent years we have unravelled elements of the pathways to disease using cytokine-based approaches.
16:00 – 16:30 Effector and Regulatory T cells in CNS autoimmune disease
Professor Steve Anderton, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
17:00 Chairman’s summing up.