NY Academy of Sciences Conference
PRIMORDIAL IMMUNITY: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE VERTEBRATE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
May 2-5, 1993
Organizing Committee: G. Beck (SUNY @ Stony Brook), G. Habicht (SUNY @
Stony Brook), E. Cooper (UCLA), and J. Marchalonis (Univ. of Arizona)
Host defense mechanisms have been evolving since the first organisms
encountered one another hundreds of millions of years ago. All
multi-cellular organisms face the survival necessity of distinguishing
between self and nonself in response to parasitism or infection with
microbial pathogens. Studies of ancient defense systems have extensive
implications for understanding the evolution of immunity and problems of
human health and disease.
We should not forget, as immunologists, that the first major breakthrough
in basic immunology which heralded the cellular and humoral concepts to
which we still adhere came from Metchnikoff's prescient experiments that
revealed phagocytosis in simple animals.
This conference is a vehicle for realizing the concept that invertebrates
can contribute to a more complete understanding and clarification of the
immune response in higher animals. Speakers have been drawn from diverse
fields to afford the audience interdisciplinary insights into evolution of
antigen specific and nonspecific host defense systems. In this way we hope
to stimulate further understanding concerning the origins of molecules and
cells of the vertebrate immune system.
Organization of the conference
A. Evolutionary principles of primitive defense systems
B. Cellular and humoral defense mechanisms
D. Defense molecules
E. Effector mechanisms
F. Internal and external environments
There will be contributed poster sessions in conjunction with this
conference and these will form an integral part of the program and the
publication of a book. The entire abstract, including title, author(s), and
affiliations, must be typed single-spaced and contained within a rectangle
that measures 5 X 4 3/8 in. (W X L).
For more information or abstract submission contact:
Gregory Beck or Gail S. Habicht
Department of Pathology
SUNY @ Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY 11794-8691
Voice: 516-444-3030
FAX: 516-444-3424
E mail: GBeck at path.som.SUNYSB.edu
|**********************************************************************|
|* Gregory Beck GBeck at path.som.SUNYSB.edu *|
|* Department of Pathology *|
|* State University of New York at Stony Brook *|
|* Stony Brook, NY 11794-8691 USA *|
|* Telephone 516-444-3030 *|
|* FAX 516-444-3424 *|
|**********************************************************************|
