Biology of B Cells in Health and Disease Organizer(s): Mark J. Shlomchik, Cornelius Murre and Timothy W. Behrens Date: February 06 - 12, 2007
Location: Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, AB, CanadaB lymphocytes secrete antibody, present antigen and regulate immune responses. The study of B cell differentiation has revealed unexpected plasticity. B cells undergo three unique DNA rearrangement processes: V(D)J recombination, somatic hypermutation, and class switch. The latter two occur in the germinal center, where memory B cells as well as long-lived plasma cells are generated. Much research is focused on the signals that generate these cells as well as their intrinsic properties. With regard to normal and aberrant function in disease, B cells frequently undergo transformation, likely via the DNA modification processes unique to B cells. Normally, B cells are tolerant to self but this can break down, leading to autoimmunity. B cells have proven an excellent target for therapy, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The meeting will highlight these interrelated topics by focusing first on molecular events in development and normal immune responses, then covering how these go awry during transformation, autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, with an emphasis on comparing murine and human systems. Scholarship Deadline: October 6 2006 Discounted Abstract Deadline: October 6 2006 Abstract Deadline: November 6 2006 Discounted Registration Deadline: December 6 2006 We gratefully acknowledge additional support for this conference from: GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development, Ltd.  We gratefully acknowledge additional in-kind support for this conference from those foregoing speaker expense reimbursements:
Genentech, Inc.
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