Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Modulation of the immune system is a revolutionary new way to treat cancer. The approval of new drugs that eliminate cancers using antibodies launched a new era in cancer therapy. In essence these treatments revolve around using antibodies that bind to our bodies own cells to combat several different types of cancer. For example, antibodies that block inhibitors of the immune response are now approved to treat several cancers. By removing an inhibitory signal, these therapies allow a burst of immune response in some patients that can completely eliminate the cancer. Since the feasibility of modulating the immune system to eliminate cancers has been demonstrated, there is much interest in broadening these approaches to other currently untreatable cancers, as well as to chronic infections. Understanding the underlying mechanisms behind these new approaches is critical if they are to be used successfully. This topic will be the focus of the opening address and a major symposium at the Canadian Society for Immunology spring meeting in 2016. This meeting brings together trainees and established scientists from across Canada to share knowledge and expertise. We are requesting support for the Keynote speaker, Dr. Arlene Sharpe, Harvard Medical School, a leader in the field of immunotherapy. We are also requesting support for a symposium on this topic to be chaired by Dr. Pamela Ohashi, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. These events will be complemented by two other symposia, each touching on important immune mechanisms that can be exploited to improve human disease outcomes. A series of workshops and poster sessions will allow trainees to present their emerging data in the field, and a session for trainees exploring career opportunities will also be held. The meeting will provide an outstanding opportunity for trainees and new investigators entering the field to meet with leaders in the field and explore new ways to move this important field forward.