On April 18, 2023, the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Penn hosted its first annual Symposium, bringing together experts across disciplines to discuss advances in autoimmune research.
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The event was split into three sessions, each focused on a different area of study, and also featured a lively poster session on a broad range of topics related to autoimmune diseases. The event was a great success, highlighting the latest developments in autoimmune research and treatments.
Ed Behrens led the first session with a discussion on the role of interferons in autoimmune diseases such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and lupus, and how his lab is using bone marrow chimera mice to study immune responses and their effects on non-immune cells. Peter Merkel's presentation focused on advances in the management of ANCA-associated vasculitis, including the use of biomarkers to tailor treatments and improve patient outcomes. Aimee Payne closed the first session with a discussion of CAR T-cell therapy as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases, describing the path to FDA approval.
The second session focused on personalized medicine for rheumatic diseases caused by single gene mutations, T cell skin therapies, and autoimmunity after PD-1 immunotherapy. Jonathan Miner presented his mouse model for SAVI disease, while Christoph Ellebrecht discussed his work on Crispr/cas9 KO screens to identify therapeutic targets for T cell skin therapies. Sokratis Apostolidis is studying the changes in the immune system in various organ systems and how they relate to autoimmunity. Claudia Lovell is researching the relationship between the X chromosome and autoimmune diseases. Diego Espinoza ended the second session with a presentation focused on pediatric autoimmune neuro disorders.
The third and final session of the conference featured brief presentations on a wide variety of research areas. David Fajgenbaum discussed potential therapies for Castleman Disease. Laura Su discussed T-cell priming induced homing receptors and their response to commensal bacteria. Benjamin Abramoff discussed the physical and cognitive deficits observed in patients with long-COVID. Roman Khadka presented research on using CAR T cells to treat a devastating blood clotting disorder on behalf of Vijay Bjoh. Li Shen gave an overview of how AI/ML models can be used to predict outcomes and identify biomarkers for autoimmune diseases. Michela Locci discussed using fine needle aspirates (FNAs) to characterize lymph nodes and germinal centers. Neil Romberg talked about the lessons we can learn about autoimmunity from patients with inborn immune system errors. Blanca Himes discussed how new technologies are helping to clarify genetic and environmental contributions to asthma. Alexis Ogdie-Beatty presented on the heterogeneity of psoriatic arthritis and the factors that contribute to its development, including environmental exposures and genetic factors. Joost Wagenaar concluded the symposium with a presentation on Pennsieve, the cloud-based platform he is building to integrate and analyze immune health data and accelerate collaborative science.
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Dive into the inspiring stories and accomplishments of the recipients of The Philadelphia Citizen's first-ever Citizen of the Year Awards. Featuring David Fajgenbaum from the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Penn.