Keystone Symposia: The Macrophage: Intersection of Pathogenic and Protective Inflammation (J8)

Recent insights into macrophage biology have focused on their prodigiously varied roles: as sensors, effectors and regulators of immunity; as cells central to tissue repair and homeostasis; as the host cell of diverse pathogens; and as cells pivotal to the pathogenesis of numerous inflammatory diseases. The conservation of underlying common mechanisms of macrophage activation and subsequent control forms the overall thematic organization of this meeting. A special focus will be on areas of macrophage biology that are often neglected, including the role of macrophages in inflammatory diseases not obviously linked to pathogens including atherosclerosis, cancer, metabolic diseases and other forms of sterile inflammation. The meeting is intended to provide a state-of-the-art overview of macrophage biology, to highlight the translational implications of this work, to provide researchers with access to diverse model systems, topics and levels of investigation, and to help define the most important questions to be addressed.