Final Program | CME/Attendance Certificate | Abstracts Online

Satellite Symposia

FOCIS 2008 Member Society Satellite Symposia
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Boston Marriott Copley Place

In an effort to encourage cross-disciplinary exposure, FOCIS is combining all Satellite registrations into two registration fees that will allow attendees to move between Satellite Symposia.

Full day tickets allow delegates to move among all listed satellites. Half day tickets allow delegates to attend all symposia in the half day for which they have purchased a ticket, including the respective half of a full day satellite.

All sessions on Thursday, June 5, require additional registration.

To attend Satellite Symposia, delegates MUST indicate this option on the FOCIS 2008 registration form and pay an additional fee.

Half day ticket price: $45 (either morning with beverage and continental breakfast or afternoon with beverage and snack)

Full day ticket price: $75 (includes continental breakfast, box lunch and snack)

More information regarding registration for the Interventional Immunology Course can be found on the FOCIS 2008 Registration page.

FOCIS 2008 Full Day Member Society Satellite Symposia include:

Clinical Immunology Society (CIS)

Clinical Immunology Society (CIS)/Section of Clinical Immunology & Allergy of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM)/European Society of Immunodeficiency (ESID)/National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/Office of Rare Disease

The conference will highlight recent advances in the basic science and clinical care of patients with primary immunodeficiencies. New findings which impact our understanding of basic pathophysiologic mechanisms will also be discussed. The theme of primary immunodeficiency disease will then flow into the opening plenary of FOCIS 2008 on Friday, June 6 at 8:30am. The opening plenary, "Lessons in Immunodeficiencies," will feature prominent speakers including Rebecca Buckley, MD, Jean Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD, and Mary Ellen Conley, MD.
Click here to view the updated agenda

Society for Mucosal Immunology (SMI)/American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)/Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA)

This symposium will provide a "cross-mucosal" view of basic, translational and clinical research regarding the central role of the mucosal immune system in maintaining homeostasis in the gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts, as well as the skin, eye and other mucosal surfaces. The contribution of dysregulated mucosal immune responses to the pathophysiology of allergic, inflammatory and immunologic diseases will be highlighted.

Organizing Committee:
Charlotte Kaetzel, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Rick Blumberg, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Leo Lefrançois, University of Connecticut Health Center
Dale Umetsu, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School
Jonathan Braun, UCLA School of Medicine
Click here to view the agenda

International Society for Neuroimmunology (ISNI)/Immunology of Diabetes Society (IDS)

Antigen presenting cells play a central role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including MS and type 1 diabetes. Two cell types have emerged as the key players, dendritic cells and B cells. B cells that express a B cell receptor with matching specificity to the antigen of interest are highly effective antigen presenting cells. In this session we will discuss the distinct roles of dendritic cells and B cells in the initiation and progression of autoimmune diseases as well as the therapeutic efficacy of B cell depletion and other approaches that target antigen presenting cells.
Click here to view the agenda

FOCIS 2008 Half Day Morning Only Member Society Satellite Symposia include:

American Uveitis Society (AUS)

Click here to view the agenda

American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics (ASHI)/The Transplantation Society(TTS)/American Society of Transplantation (AST)

This symposium will demonstrate up-to-date and state-of-the-art approaches being used to monitor the health of transplant patients. This will serve as a showcase of translational research in clinical transplantation as well as efforts to improve patient diagnostics and care. The symposium expects to foster interactions from other clinical disciplines such as care for patients with autoimmune disease that are developing new approaches to detect and treat these diseases in their patients.
Click here to view the agenda

FOCIS 2008 Half Day Afternoon Only Member Society Satellite Symposia include:

Clinical Immunology Society (CIS)

Vaccines for some chronic viral disease (HIV, HCV) have been difficult to develop. In many cases, enhancement of T cell activity can be achieved, yet viral elimination is not occurring and vaccine-induced T cells do not sustain optimal function in vivo. The goal of this half-day forum is to introduce and discuss novel immune-modulatory strategies that could augment vaccine success based on recent findings in animal models and pave a way for their clinical translation.
Click here to view the agenda

International Cytokine Society (ICS)

Biologic agents have revolutionized the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. Many of these agents modulate the activity of cytokines such as TNF, IL-6, and (still in clinical trials) IL-12 and IL-23. There is every reason to believe that additional cytokines will play significant roles in multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This symposium will introduce new agents directed at cytokines not previously exploited, and will showcase promising early-stage clinical results using the new agents in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, diabetes, and cancer. In addition, the lessons learned from one clinical trial failure, and how they apply in general to development of biologics, will be discussed.
Click here to view the agenda

© 2008 FOCIS