Organizers: Mark H. Kaplan, PhD and Daniella M. Schwartz MD
Although IL-9 was first described in the late 1980s, its regulation and functions are still not well defined. Initially identified as a mast cell and T cell growth factor, IL-9 was subsequently reclassified as a type 2 cytokine after extensive data implicated it in atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and allergic asthma. Enthusiasm for the role of IL-9 in allergy peaked in the mid-2010s and then waned after two negative trials of IL-9-blocking antibodies in asthma. Over the subsequent decade, however, additional data emerged implicating IL-9 as a major player in autoimmunity and antitumor immunity. More recently, new endotype-based classification systems have led many investigators to speculate that “IL-9-high” endotypes have clinically relevant translational applications to precision medicine treatments of allergic, autoimmune, and malignant conditions. This has sparked a renaissance of papers investigating the mechanisms underlying, and clinical implications of, IL-9 cytokine biology. In the last year alone, over 20 foundational publications advanced the field with insights that include novel mechanisms of activation, novel targets of IL-9 in human disease, and novel applications for engineered IL-9-pathway modulators.
To highlight this renaissance in IL-9 biology, the ICIS will be hosting a symposium at the 2024 FOCIS Annual Meeting. The symposium, entitled “IL-9: from birth to breath” will be held on June 18, 2024 – immediately before the FOCIS Opening Keynote Address. A series of short talks will cover the multifaceted roles of IL-9 across a broad range of human diseases, as well as basic mechanisms regulating IL-9 expression in various microenvironments. Invited speakers will include Joslyn Cho, Lionel Apetoh, Paula Licona Limón, Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, and Matthew Olson. We hope to see you all in San Francisco for this exciting ICIS-sponsored session, the first symposium focused on IL-9!
Tuesday, June 18th 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, USA
International Cytokine & Interferon Society (ICIS) Symposium at FOCIS 2024
“IL-9: From Birth to Breath”
Co-chairs:
Mark Kaplan, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University, USA
Daniella Schwartz, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Departments of Medicine and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Speakers
- 3:30 pm Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD, Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University at St. Louis, USA
A Novel Mechanism for Preterm Labor and Birth Driven by IL-9 at the Maternal-Fetal Interface - 3:45 pm Lionel Apetoh, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University, USA
IL-9-producing CD4 T cells in cancer immunotherapy - 4:00 pm Daniella Schwartz, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Departments of Medicine and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Epigenetic control of IL-9 in health and disease - 4:15 pm Matthew Olson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Purdue University, USA
Cooperative roles of IL-1 and IL-2 in the differentiation and function of IL-9-secreting CD4 T cells - 4:30 pm Paula Licona Limon, PhD, Associate Professor, Instituto de Fisiologia Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), MEXICO
Lineage markers for Th9 cells: the PKA/PKIB pathway - 4:45 pm Josalyn Cho, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine-Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
Allergen induces IL9 expression in pathogenic airway Th2 cells in asthma
