Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Infection and Immunity

This symposium will be held with a target audience Immunologists (Investigators and trainees) that are Basic Scientists or Clinicians from McGill University, University of Montreal and Institut Armand-Frappier (affiliated with the University of Quebec at Montreal). The media and the general public will be welcome. This symposium will focus on the role of cytokines in immune system homeostasis, during infections, as well as in the development of autoimmune inflammation. In the previous symposium we focused on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as a therapeutic target in three different diseases. In the current symposium we will gather experts in the field of the IFN-IL-17-IL-23 axis, including the important roles of IL-1, IL-6, TGF and IL-22. Dr Litman (Harvard) and Piccirilo (McGill) will open the Symposium by addressing the role(s) of these cytokines in immune homeostasis. Dr Becher (Zurich) and Oukka (Harvard) have accepted to discuss the influence of the IL-17-IL-23 axis in autoimmune diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's disease and Psoriasis. Dr Ancuta (CHUM) will discuss the role of IL-17-IL-23 axis during HIV infection. Selected speakers from bio-pharmaceutical companies have accepted to expose their views on currently available molecules. Dr Cua (DNAX- Schering Plough, USA) has confirmed his interest to address this topic. We are also expecting Dr Ted Yednock (VP, Elan biopharmaceuticals, USA) to give his views on future developments of cytokine-based therapies. Finally, to discuss the cost-benefits of such therapies we have invited an expert of the Conseil du Médicament du Quebec to provide an overview of the impact of these novel therapies on the population health and on the government spending. This symposium will give a balanced overview of the importance of such therapies. Rheumatologists, Dermatologist, Neurologists and Gastro-enterologists will be able to learn from scientists and from a health economist.