AAI Clinical Immunology Committee: Reverse Translation: Learning From the Patient
Chairs:
Thomas F. Gajewski, Univ. of Chicago Med. Ctr.; AAI Clinical Immunology Committee Chair
Megan Sykes, Columbia Univ.
Speakers:
- Eric Meffre, Yale Univ., T cells prevent the peripheral accumulation of autoreactive naïve B cells
- Catarina E. Hioe, Icahn Sch. of Med., Mount Sinai, HIV vaccine design guided by patients’ antibody responses
- Megan Sykes, Columbia Univ., Tracking the human alloresponse in transplant recipients
- Jordan Orange, Baylor Col. of Med., Learning about NK cells from inherent defects in human immunity
While translational research has traditionally moved basic immunology knowledge forward into clinical application, varying clinical presentations of human immune-related disease processes, as well as variability in therapeutic outcomes, have provided opportunities for discovery of novel mechanistic hypotheses directly from patients. These types of investigations have been enabled by key technologies, including single-cell assays, high-throughput genomic sequencing, and improved bioinformatic algorithms. Tissues being sampled include biopsy material from target organs, peripheral blood cells and serum/plasma, germline DNA, and stool for microbiota analysis. Such work is accelerating therapeutic advances in autoimmunity, solid organ transplantation, and cancer immunotherapy. A sampling of presentations will highlight opportunities in reverse translational immunology research.