Project Grant R13AI176826

12TH BIENNIAL SYMPOSIUM OF THE INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC. (IES) - CONFERENCE ABSTRACT R13 CONFERENCE SUPPORT IS REQUESTED FOR THE 12TH BIENNIAL EOSINOPHIL SYMPOSIUM, "EOSINOPHILS 2023", TO BE HELD JULY 11-15, 2023 AT THE DAVID BRALEY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE, MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, HAMILTON, ON, CANADA UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC. (IES). THE MEETING HOSTS ~35 INVITED SPEAKERS AND ~120 ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS WHO SUBMIT ABSTRACTS. A CUTTING-EDGE PROGRAM OF BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH IS BEING PREPARED BY THE IES SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM COMMITTEE IN CONSULTATION WITH THE LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE. PLANNED SESSIONS INCLUDE: 1) REGULATION OF EOSINOPHIL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAFFICKING, 2) EOSINOPHILS IN TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY AND CANCER THERAPY, 3) EOSINOPHILS IN TISSUE INJURY/REPAIR/FIBROSIS IN ORGAN DISEASE, 4) EOSINOPHIL REGULATION OF LOCAL IMMUNITY AND INTERACTIONS WITH INNATE AND ADAPTIVE CELLS, 5) CELL DEATH (AND STRESS, AUTOPHAGY) IN EOSINOPHIL BIOLOGY, 6) RECIPROCAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EOSINOPHILS AND MICROBIOMES IN GUT HOMEOSTASIS/DYSBIOSIS, 7) EOSINOPHILS IN GI DISEASES, 8) EOSINOPHILS IN HOST DEFENSE; ANTI-BACTERIAL AND VIRAL RESPONSES INCLUDING COVID-19, 9) EOSINOPHILS IN DERMATOLOGIC DISEASES, 10) NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES FOR STUDYING EOSINOPHILS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE, AND 11) CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE OF EOSINOPHILS AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A HIGHLY INTERACTIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY FORUM FOR SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE AMONGST JUNIOR AND ESTABLISHED SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELDS OF ALLERGY, IMMUNOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, HEMATOLOGY, AND CANCER IN RELATION TO THE EOSINOPHIL'S ROLES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. A PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS BRINGING TOGETHER BASIC SCIENTISTS WITH EXPERTISE IN EOSINOPHIL BIOLOGY, AND CLINICIAN INVESTIGATORS INTERESTED IN EOSINOPHIL-ASSOCIATED DISEASES, TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF DISEASE MECHANISMS, SIGNIFICANCE OF EOSINOPHIL FUNCTIONS, AND FOSTER TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH. A 2ND OBJECTIVE IS TO FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERESTS OF YOUNGER INVESTIGATORS TO HELP SUPPORT THEIR CAREER DEVELOPMENT, CREATING A NEW GENERATION OF "EOSINOPHILES". THE MEETING HAS A KEYSTONE-LIKE-STRUCTURE WITH ALL PARTICIPANTS IN A SINGLE CONFERENCE VENUE FOR UNOPPOSED SESSIONS. BOTH THE SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS EMPHASIZE CREATING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY FOR EOSINOPHIL SCIENTISTS. THIS MEETING IS PARTICULARLY TIMELY BECAUSE NEW DATA AND APPROVALS OF BIOLOGIC THERAPIES THAT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BLOCK EOSINOPHIL-MEDIATED DEVELOPMENT AND INFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS ARE NOW PROVIDING DEFINITIVE FINDINGS ON THE ROLES OF EOSINOPHILS IN HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE SYMPOSIUM, WITH ITS STRONG EMPHASIS ON INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, COVERS IMPORTANT GLOBAL DISEASES INCLUDING ASTHMA, EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS, PARASITOSES, HYPEREOSINOPHILIC SYNDROMES AND COVID-19. THE FORMAT INCLUDES PLENARY AND POSTER SESSIONS, WITH THE FORMER COVERING STATE-OF-THE-ART TOPICS BY LEADERS IN THE FIELD, FOLLOWED BY CUTTING EDGE PRESENTATIONS ON RECENT HIGH IMPACT STUDIES, WITH ORAL ABSTRACT PRESENTATIONS INTEGRATED INTO THE SESSIONS. TWO UNOPPOSED POSTER SESSIONS INCLUDE SHORT PRESENTATIONS OF HIGH-IMPACT STUDIES. TWO PRIZE LECTURES ARE INCLUDED, THE EHRLICH AWARD FOR A SCIENTIST WHO HAS MADE A MAJOR OVERALL CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD, AND GLEICH AWARD FOR A SCIENTIST WITH THE HIGHEST IMPACT PUBLICATION OVER THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS.