Understanding Antibody Structure, Function, Diversity, and Pathology to Improve Disease Treatment

Antibodies are multi-faceted proteins, capable of an extraordinary array of important functions. Not only major players in protection against invading pathogens, they play critical roles in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, their induction is central to many vaccine strategies, and they are an unrivalled platform for engineering highly effective diagnostic and therapeutic reagents. The 2014 Gordon Conference on Antibody Biology and Engineering will present in-depth coverage of recent advances in this exciting field, in an informal setting designed for maximal interaction. Bringing together academic researchers with their colleagues in the biopharma industry, it will provide an ideal opportunity for leading researchers from around the world to present and discuss cutting-edge data.

Fusing new developments in basic science with high-impact translational and clinical research, the meeting will provide a stimulating program featuring an international mix of established and upcoming researchers. A key emphasis will be on mechanisms of antibody action in health and disease and the application of this mechanistic understanding to the design of improved vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Topics will include antibody structure and dynamics, immunoglobulin effector function, the breadth and duration of antibody repertoires, as well as the mechanisms underlying antibody involvement in major inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The protective roles of antibodies against important viral and bacterial pathogens will also come under the spotlight, in the context of both improved vaccine strategies and development of new treatments. Novel approaches to engineer effective therapeutic antibodies will also be a key theme, including strategies to control antibody half-life and biodistribution. Building on the highly creative, congenial academia-industry interactions that characterized the previous two meetings in this series, the conference will provide the ideal setting for cross-fertilization of ideas, conceptual advances, and the promotion of synergistic collaborations.

For the first time in the meeting series, the conference will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). The Antibody Biology and Engineering GRS is designed to further facilitate the participation of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Planned by and for trainees, it will provide an opportunity for our junior researchers to present seminars and posters in a supportive, interactive environment. It will act as an important springboard for the development of the future thought leaders in the field.