5th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS 2017)

The field of cytokine and interferon research has seen tremendous scientific progress over the last two decades. Recent developments include the characterization of various mechanisms of cell death and systems for danger signal recognition, the linkage of innate and acquired immunity through chemokines, the discovery of autoinflammatory diseases caused by aberrant activation of the inflammasome, the elucidation of the effects of microbiota on the systemic immune system, clarification of the ontogeny and development of tissue macrophages and DCs, the discovery of innate lymphoid cells, and various advances in the development of biological therapeutics for intractable inflammatory and immune diseases. Some of these therapeutics include the development of antibodies against TNFalpha, IL-6 receptor, IL-17 and IL-1 receptor antagonist/anti-IL-1beta antibody. In addition, the recent development of CAR-T cell therapy and immune-checkpoint antibodies, such as anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/-L1, has revolutionized our approach to cancer therapy.

The main theme of this year’s Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society is “Looking beyond the horizon of integrated cytokine, interferon, and chemokine research”. The meeting will provide an outstanding forum for investigators in basic science and clinical research to present their most recent findings on the role of cytokines (including interferons, chemokines, and various pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory factors) in infection, cancer, allergy and autoimmunity, as well as in various other inflammatory and immune diseases. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for updates on the development of novel therapeutic interventions in these fields.