The Winter Olympics brought a much-needed mental break during a February- the middle of Northwestern’s Winter Quarter, a respite from undergraduate teaching, grant writing, and the pandemonium of ongoing political noise. The beauty of the snowy Milan-Cortino mountains of was a perfect backdrop to the gathering of outstanding athletes from around the world. They shared their best selves, contributing to memorable moments of victory, reaching new heights and completing never-before-seen feats of perfection in their sports. Individual and team efforts were celebrated by teammates and opponents alike, and these thrilling events achieved highly spirited performances of raw power and graceful strength.
Naturally this high level of achievement and unbridled enthusiasm only brings to my mind The Cytokine Society. Like Olympians, our members train for years, giving long hours through postgraduate and medical training building the skills and precise focus to refine their craft. We climb mountains to make new discoveries, compete for funding, publication, promotion, and share both victories and disappointments. The Cytokine Olympic Event is an international meeting that annually brings together talented investigators from all over the world to share marvelous feats of science, gaze in awe as our superstars share how they solved mysteries dark and vast, showcasing both individual and team efforts in talks and poster sessions, and in face-to-face networking events with our worldwide colleagues, emerging stronger, smarter, and happier.
Recognizing Excellence in Cytokine Research
You can reach the Cytokine 2026 podium by submitting an abstract, and you can win one of our awards- from travel grants to senior leadership awards we support our members by recognizing their accomplishments. The process is easy, so please take the time to nominate yourself and your colleagues for any of our prestigious awards.
On the topic of annual meetings: I am working with President-Elect Karen Mossman and Executive committee members Elia Tate Wojno (Treasurer) and Susan Carpenter (Secretary) to create more efficiency in our annual meetings, including creating opportunities for members and local cytokine societies to become engaged in program development for the annual meetings. Stay tuned for more information as programs develop and are approved by our Governing Council.
Volunteer Power – It Takes a Village
I raise the names of a few of our leadership team here not only to acknowledge their tireless volunteer efforts, but also as a reminder that we function as a village to support our members around the globe. We need you to give back and participate in our leadership, through both elected and appointed positions. It is an eye-opening and rewarding experience to get involved behind the scenes, to see how the sausage gets made, and to turn your ideas into new initiatives in support of cytokine research. Nominations for Council and the Nominating Committee will open soon. Look for details in the March 18 issue of Signals+. I welcome your participation at any level and encourage you to communicate your interest directly to me or any of our leaders.
Cytokines 2026 to be held October 18 – 21 in Glasgow, Scotland
Our next annual meeting will be another outstanding celebration of Science and Cytokines in Glasgow 2026. Co-chairs Simon Jones and Iain McGinnes, in collaboration with an international Scientific Organizing Committee are making no small plans for another unforgettable gathering. A talented group of speakers have been invited, and you are encouraged to submit your abstracts to help fill the program (with discounted early registration fees!). The meeting includes academic, pharma, biotech, basic, clinical, and applied cytokine biology, with something for everyone on the River Clyde.
Glasgow is a thriving cultural hub, home to acclaimed museums and a terrific music scene. Rumor has it that the meeting’s gala might even see the return of Metabollix, the Cytokine Society’s adopted house band from Dublin. They believe that great music like great science is all about chemistry and interaction, a fitting tribute to the Cytokines 2026.