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First Round of Abstract Submission Ends: Dec 28, 2023
Extended Early Bird Ends: Apr 16, 2024

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Petro Terblanche
Afrigen Biologics, South Africa
Title: mRNA vaccine innovation: potential contribution to global burden of disease immunization programmes
Professor Petro Terblanche has a successful track record in the strategic and operational management of technology intensive organizations. She has played a key part in the design and implementation of South Africa’s biotechnology strategy. She holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of Afrigen Biologics (Pty)Ltd based in Cape Town, South Africa. Afrigen hosts the WHO Global mRNA technology development and transfer Hub and has a mRNA Covid 19 vaccine candidate in development as part of a global program to build capacity and capabilities in LMICs to design, develop and produce mRNA vaccines. Prof Terblanche is the author of more than 200 scientific publications and conference papers in public health. Petro holds several Board positions and serves on a number of scientific advisory boards in the public health sector. She was recently acknowledged as one of the legends of science by the Academy of Sciences South Africa.
Dr. Hongzhang Deng
Xidian University, China
Title: Will be updated soon
Will be updated soon
Dr. Bjorn Tampe
University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
Title: Will be updated soon
Will be updated soon
Dr. Diletta Di Mitri
Humanitas University, Italy
Title: Will be updated soon
Will be updated soon
Dr. Barbara Seliger
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Title: Will be updated soon
From November 2003 to September 2022, Prof. Dr. Barbara Seliger was director of the Institute for Medical Immunology at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle/Saale. Since 1st of October 2022, Prof. Seliger is director of the Institute for Translational Immunology at the Medical School of the Theodor Fontane University in Brandenburg an der Havel, but is still affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the MLU. From January 2020, she is also affiliated with the Fraunhofer Institute for cell Therapy and Immunology in Leipzig. In addition, she is the director of one of the four German FOCIS Centers of Excellence, a member of the World Immunoscore Consortium (WIC), the biomarker initiative of the Society of Immunotherapy and Cancer (SITC) and is currently until the end of 2023 the head of the working group for “Tumor immunology” of the German Society of Immunology for more than 10 years. In 2004, Prof. Seliger established the international symposium "Tumor immunology meets oncology" in Halle, which is held annually in cooperation with the German Society for Immunology and the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Prof. Seliger's research team investigates the molecular strategies of tumors to escape the control of immune surveillance and the role of the tumor microenvironment and immune cell subpopulations in tumor development and therapy resistance. In addition, her institute is involved in the optimization and monitoring of clinical immunotherapies trials thereby characterizing therapy resistance and biomarkers that predict therapy response. In addition, Prof. Seliger works on the identification, functional characterization and clinical relevance of immunoregulatory microRNAs, non-coding long RNAs and RNA-binding proteins and their implementation as a therapeutic tool alone or in combination with targeted (immuno)therapies, e.g. CARNK and CAR-T cell therapies. Another focus of her work is the analysis of the role of the tumor and immune cell metabolism in immune surveillance and its modulation as a new therapeutic option. During the last three years she has expanded her research into the field of infectious immunology with a focus on viral infections. In this context, Prof. Seliger developed the DAADfunded project GLACIER (German-Latin American Cent -re of Infection & Epidemiology Research and Training) dedicated to building and strengthening capacity to respond, treat and manage emerging diseases in the Latin American region (Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala). The project consists of a multi-disciplinary consortium and is led by Prof. Seliger and Prof. Drexler.

Prof. Seliger has currently more than 370 publications and has won several national and international awards and is a reviewer for national and international research projects, publications and for the Science Council as well as Associate Editor of JITC and JTM. She cooperates with well-known institutions, such as e.g. the Hadassah University (Jerusalem), Inserm (Paris), O'Cornell University (New York), Harvard University (Boston) and the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm).
Dr. Yanchuan Li
Nanjing Medical University, China
Title: Will be updated soon
Will be updated soon
Dr. Qiujing Yu
Tianjin Medical University, China
Title: Will be updated soon
Will be updated soon
Dr. Maria Francisca Palomares Jerez
University of Seville, Spain
Title: Inhibition of type 2 immune response by food bioactive compounds associated with the immunometabolism regulation in inflammatory diseases.
Doctorated in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Miguel Hernandez University. Her PhD was awarded with an Extraordinary Prize of Doctorate. After PhD, she carried out different international stays financed with highly competitive research contracts (FEBS, Canadian Institute for Health, Carlos III Health Institute, Roche Pharma and Andalusian Government). Currently, she is Ramon y Cajal researcher and professor at University of Sevilla, where she led different researcher lines focused on the identification of biomarkers, therapeutic targets, metabolic regulation points and innate signalling to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Palomares´ research team investigates, the role that the nutraceuticals play in the context of inflammatory diseases with special focus on the immunomodulation in human dendritic cells and innate lymphoid cells. In addition, her research team develops innovative therapeutic tools and studies their immunological mechanisms of action in human and mouse models of inflammatory intestinal pathologies. Recently, her research team have opened new reach line into the field of the molecular (innate immune signalling) and metabolic mechanisms involved in the mode of action of nutraceuticals in immune cells.

Dr. Palomares has currently more than 45 publications and has won several awards. She is reviewer for national and international research projects and publications as well as associate editor in different international journals.
Dr. Vimolmas Tansathitaya
Mahidol University, Thailand
Title: Will update soon
In my current role, I serve as a lecturer at Thailand's Mahidol University's College of Sports Science and Technology. My primary research interests concern miRNA and chronic illnesses, as well as fitness. I am also interested in studies on the microbiome in chronic illnesses and exercise, which was presented in an article in 2022. One of my significant study topics concentrated on illnesses and their effects on birth abnormalities acquired by the second and third generations of descendants. MiRNAs and target genes were employed as biomarkers in the research. Tinarathpatra Co Ltd., Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and Mahidol University have all provided me with financial support to study the BDNF gene expressions in amphetamine drug users and this is my completed latest research. This research focused on BDNF gene expression in cognitive function improvement.

After I received my Ph.D. in Health Promotion and Human Services from the University of Cincinnati in the United States, I was inspired to act on another idea. One of my initial thoughts was to look at how genotypes could potentially evolve as lifestyles shifted and how exercise could help mitigate diseases. Since then, I have been motivated to begin examining genetic causes by performing in-depth studies in epigenetics, with a focus on miRNAs and target genes as major indicators.
Dr. Jing Tang
Guangdong Medical University, China
Title: Will update soon
Dr. Jing Tang is the director of Anesthesiology and Pain Treatment Department at Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University. Dr Tang is a Member of Chinese Medical Association Anesthesiology and Pain Committee of Guangdong Medical Association.

Prof. Tang received his Ph.D. in Anesthesiology of Southern Medical University, China, followed by a post-doctorate fellowship at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Besides, Dr Tang used to be a Senior visiting scholar at University of Pittsburgh, USA. He was awarded the Young Medical Investigator Award of Guangdong, China (2017).

The research projects in Prof. Tang’s laboratory are primarily focused on mechanisms of immune cellular dysfunctions as well as immunotherapy in sepsis. Prof. Tang has won 5 NSFC grants and participated in a China Key R&D Program grant. To this date, Prof. Tang published more than 37 scientific papers, mostly on the pathogenesis of sepsis, cumulating cumulative impact factor of ca. 260. The citation of the most cited paper is up to 155. His work significantly contributed the mechanisms responsible for the associated pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in sepsis and reveal some new immunotherapies for the treatment of sepsis.
Prof. Inpyo Choi
CSO, Ingenium Therapeutics, Republic of Korea
Title: Will update soon
Will update soon
Prof. Ruxandra Sirbulescu
Harvard Medical School, USA
Title: Immunomodulatory therapies for traumatic brain injury
Dr. Ruxandra Sîrbulescu is Assistant Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Principal Investigator in the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Sîrbulescu received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Neuroscience from Jacobs University in Germany and pursued a postdoctoral program in Neurobiology at Northeastern University in Boston, before joining Harvard/MGH. Dr. Sîrbulescu is a trained neurobiologist whose research interests focus on regenerative medicine. The Sîrbulescu Laboratory is interested in developing novel cell-based (immuno)therapies for the treatment of central nervous system injuries and chronic wounds, as well as in understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the capacity of immune cells to initiate and accelerate tissue healing.
Prof. Wang Min
The First Hospital in Changsha, China
Title: The role of vitamin D in immune reconstitution in HIV infected individuals
MD, chief expert of the Infectious Diseases Center of the First Hospital of Changsha, professor of Changsha Hospital affiliated to Xiangya Medical College of Central South University, master's supervisor. Member of the AIDS Medical Expert Group of the National Health Commission. Member of the Medical Virology Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Association. Member of the AIDS Group of the Infectious Diseases Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Member of the Academic Committee of the Chinese Association for the Prevention and Control of STDs and AIDS. Standing member of the Professional Committee of HIV/AIDS Complicated with Liver Diseases. Director of the AIDS Prevention and Treatment Clinical Medical Technology Demonstration Base in Hunan Province. Director of the AIDS Medical Research Institute in Changsha.

Engaged in infectious disease clinic for 39 years, familiar with clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and AIDS. More than 80 academic papers related to AIDS (more than 20 SCI papers) has been published. Participated in editing the 2015, 2018 and 2021 AIDS Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines in China, and participated in the compilation of monographs such as New Infectious Diseases, Design and Implementation of Clinical Trials for infectious diseases. Participated as a PI in multiple global and national multicenter clinical research projects; Received the Hunan Preventive Medicine Association Science and Technology Progress Award twice (ranked first) in 2010 and 2020, and won the third prize (ranked first) of the 19th Hunan Medical Science and Technology Award in 2022.
Dr. Guan Yang
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Title: Will be updated soon
Dr. Guan Yang is an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong. Dr. Yang owned his Ph.D. in Animal Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Florida and received his postdoctoral training at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, before joining the City University of Hong Kong. Dr. Yang is a trained immunologist whose research interests focus on the autoimmune diseases. Dr. Yang’s research program aims to investigate the complex interplay between the environment, immune, and metabolic systems underlie autoimmunity. The ultimate objective of his lab is to identify innovative strategies that can lead to the discovery of therapeutic targets for human diseases.
Dr. Emilie Narni-Mancinelli
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, France
Title: Will update soon
Dr. Narni-Mancinelli graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. In 2008, she obtained a PhD in Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular and Cellular Biology. During her doctoral studies, she investigated the molecular mechanisms of CD8+ T cell memory to ensure protective immunity against intracellular pathogens. She moved to the Center of Immunology in Marseille Luminy as a postdoctoral fellow and joined the team of Pr Vivier where she developed the NKp46iCre/+ mouse model allowing conditional deletion of genes specifically in NKp46+ cells. She also characterized the regulatory role of NK cells in adaptive immunity. For the past 10 years, she has led a group in the Pr Vivier lab that has been working on transcriptome profiling of tissue and blood NK cells in the steady state and in cancer. Her team has been involved in the discovery of a novel ligand for the natural cytotoxic activation receptor NKp46 expressed by NK cells and has demonstrated its role in the control of invasive bacterial infections. Dr. Narni-Mancinelli is also involved in translating the laboratory's basic research discoveries into clinical applications through the development of innovative therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, such as NK cell engagers. She is now leading the development of pan-genomic CIRSPR screens aimed at uncovering the molecular mechanisms that regulate tumor cell recognition and killing by NK cells. Dr. Narni-Mancinelli is a recipient of the French National Academy of Medicine and a member of the Scientific Committee of Canceropole PACA. She is the author of 42 publications (h-index: 23, > 3000 citations) and co-inventor of 5 patents.
Prof. Stephen Todryk
United Kingdom
Title: Antiviral immunity revealed by B cell ImmunoSpot is informative for immunity to future viral exposure
Stephen Todryk is Professor of Immunology within the Department of Applied Sciences. Having received a BSc in Applied & Human Biology in Aston, Birmingham in 1989, Steve went on to work in an NHS Immunology lab in Oxford for two years. He then embarked on a PhD at Guys Hospital, London, studying immunity and vaccines against streptococci, which he completed in 1995. He carried out postdoctoral studies on cancer immunotherapy at the Cancer Research UK lab at the Hammersmith Hospital and at St George’s London, before setting up a group as a Principal Investigator at the University of Maynooth in Ireland in 2000. He relocated his lab to Trinity College Dublin where he was a Research Lecturer. He came back to the UK, to Oxford University, in 2004, to lead the study of human immunological aspects of malaria vaccine development with Adrian Hill. Steve joined Northumbria University in 2007 as a Senior Lecturer, became Reader in 2010 and was awarded personal Chair of Immunology in 2012. Steve has been a member of the British Society for Immunology (BSI) since 1990, and served on the BSI council and local committee. He is a committee member of the local branch of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), where he is Fellow.
Mira Barda-Saad
Bar-Ilan University, Isarel
Title: Profiling Natural Killer Cell Dysfunction to Restore Anti-tumor Response, Implications for Next-Generation Immunotherapy
Mira Barda-Saad obtained her Ph.D in Molecular Immunology through collaborative research at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). She performed postdoctoral studies at the WIS and later at the NCI/NIH, where she received the Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE). Later, she joined the Faculty of Life Sciences at BIU. She was awarded the Taubenblatt Award for Research Excellence in Biomedicine. Prof. Barda-Saad served as the president of the Israeli Immunological Society (IIS) (2017-2020) and as the President of the Federation of the Israel Societies for Experimental Biology (FISEB)(2020-2024). Her research focuses on signal transduction mechanisms in immune cells, and specifically, on natural killer (NK) cell behavior in health and disease.