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2016 – Lung Immune Responses and Inflammation in Health and Disease

The 2016 Pittsburgh-Munich Lung Conference was hosted by the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, in alliance with the Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Germany (CPC).

The 2016 Pittsburgh-Munich Lung Conference focused on immune responses in the lung in health and disease, highlighting the important role the immune system plays in preserving lung health despite constant provocation by environmental insults and its inappropriate engagement during disease. It was a showcase for cutting-edge basic and translational research to understand defense against respiratory pathogens with utilization of immunological tools to develop a universal vaccine for flu. It also brought into focus immune mechanisms that incite and perpetuate different lung diseases. Innovative treatment strategies targeting the immune system to improve patient outcomes in lung diseases was an important focus of the conference.

A new subtopic included in 2016 was technological advancement that can be harnessed to study and treat lung diseases. Elucidating the immune basis of viral and bacterial pneumonia, multi-drug resistant lower respiratory tract infections, cystic fibrosis, asthma, sarcoidosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury (ALI), and lung allograft rejection are essential for the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics targeting lung diseases. The conference brought together established scientists from multiple disciplines and institutions who are contributing in a major way to unraveling the immune system to improve lung health and allowed junior investigators and trainees to learn and contribute in order to ensure the future vitality of the field.

The specific topics covered in this conference included:

  • Immune tolerance in maintenance of lung health and loss in disease
  • Immune response and inflammation in defense against respiratory pathogens
  • Immune response and inflammation in promotion of lung diseases
  • Cutting-edge technologies to probe immune cells and relevance in lung disease
  • Targeting the immune system to treat lung diseases

The 80 posters on display throughout the conference represented participants from 3 different countries and over 19 different states across the country.

Featured keynote speaker at the Banquet Dinner on Friday evening was Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.  Dr. Glimcher spoke on Tales of T-bet.

Each session ended with a panel discussion, allowing an opportunity for questions and further interaction among participants.

Distinguished speakers included:

  • Krishnendu Chakraborty, PhD| University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • David C. Christiani, MD, MPH, MS | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Angela Colmone, PhD | American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Wonder P. Drake, MD | Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
  • Oliver Eickelberg, MD, FERS* | Ludwig-Maximilians University and Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • John F. Engelhardt, PhD | University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
  • Mark T. Gladwin, MD* | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Laurie H. Glimcher, MD | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • Michael J. Holtzman, MD | Washington University in St. Louis
  • Alison Humbles, PhD | MedImmune, LLC
  • Jillian Hurst, PhD | American Society for Clinical Investigation
  • Dr. Dieter E. Jenne, MD | Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD | Ludwig-Maximilians University and Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • Jay K. Kolls, MD | Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh/UPMC
  • Janet S. Lee, MD* | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Rama K. Mallampalli, MD* | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • John F. McDyer, MD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Silke Meiners, PhD | Munich Comprehensive Pneumology Center
  • Felix Meissner, PhD | Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
  • Patricia Noel, PhD | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  • Vasilis Ntziachristos, PhD | Helmholtz Zentrum München
  • Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD | University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Anuradha Ray, PhD* | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Prabir Ray, PhD* | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Harold Renz, MD | University Hospital Giessn and Philipps-University Marburg
  • Mauricio Rojas, MD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Sruti Shiva, PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Anne I. Sperling, PhD | University of Chicago Biomedical Sciences
  • Prithu Sundd, PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Alkis Togias, MD | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • Nathaniel Weathington, MD, PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • John V. Williams, MD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Ali Önder Yildirim, PhD | Munich Comprehensive Pneumology Center
  • Yutong Zhao, MD, PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

*Denotes Organizing Committee Member