There probably is no tissue or organ with a greater impact on human health than the immune system. The cells of the immune system patrol nearly every site in the body in order to defend against pathogens. Dysregulation of immune function can occur, however, and may result in immunodeficiency, autoimmunity or allergy. The last several decades have seen an explosion of knowledge regarding how the immune system functions in health and disease.

The GRC on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology has been held regularly since 1966, and it is distinctive because it is a small meeting that strives to give broad coverage to Immunology, as opposed to more specialized topics within the field. The 2008 GRC on Immunochemistry and Immunobiology will cover areas of Immunology currently receiving the most intense investigation. The meeting will be divided into nine half-day sessions, with approximately 36 invited speakers who are internationally recognized for their contributions. Importantly, significant time will also be allotted for platform presentations by junior investigators, who will be invited to speak based on submitted abstracts. Session topics include: Molecular aspects of immune recognition (Mark Davis, chair); Lymphocyte development (Cynthia Guidos, chair); Innate Immunity (Caetano Reis e Sousa, chair); Natural memory lymphocytes (including unique subsets of T and B cells such as γδ cells, B-1 B cells and/or NKT cells that function similarly to innate immune cells; Vincenzo Cerundolo, chair), Lymphocyte activation and signal transduction, Lymphocyte dynamics, T cell regulation and inflammation (Dan Littman, chair), Autoimmunity and Mucosal immunity. Additional information on session chairs will be added as it becomes available.