Tuesday, June 20, 2006 - 9:15 am - 4:30 pm
 
Birkbeck College 
Basement Lecture Theatre  
43 Gordon Square  
London,   WC1H 0PD  
United Kingdom 

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Meeting Highlights

The use of bayesian bioinformatic models to the analysis of complex cytokine data.
Professor Michael Salmon, MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, The University of Birmingham

Introduction of the first ELISPOT based diagnostic assay Diagnosing TB in the 21st CenturyDr Ian Durrant, Research Director, Oxford Immunotec Limited

Tuberculosis has been poorly served for diagnostic purposes for many years. The current skin test is over 100 years old and is acknowledged as having a generally poor specificity and also in some cases a low sensitivity. The ELISPOT technique offers a route for development of an up-to-date blood based diagnostic assay that rapidly confirms active TB disease and also correlates with exposure to accurately diagnose latent TB infection. The ability to detect latent TB, and therefore identify at-risk individuals, is of increasing importance as more people are exposed to immunosuppressive therapies.

Detection of HIV-1-Specific T Lymphocytes in HIV-1 Infected Individuals and Vaccine Recipient

Dr Nesrina Imami, Department of Immunology, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

 

In clinical nonprogressors (CNPs), CD4 T-cell orchestration of anti-HIV-1 immunity is mediated via a balanced proliferative ability and cytokine expression/production. Whilst CNPs make vigorous CD4 and CD8 T-cell proliferative IL-2-producing responses to all HIV-1 antigens, the functional defects in HIV-1-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in chronic HIV-1 infection include an inability to proliferate and produce IL-2 in responses to HIV-1 antigens/peptides, although secretion of antiviral cytokines such as IFN and TNF are unimpaired. These important finding demonstrates that HIV-1-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells are not deleted/destroyed during chronic infection, but are actually present although unable to respond properly to HIV-1.

 


Confirmed Speakers

Dr Jane Hope, Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Near Newbury
Dr Gendie E. Lash, School of Surgical and Reproductive Sciences, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Dr Martin Voldermeier, TB Research Group, VLA-Weybridge


Developing Technologies In Cytokine Detection