Unconventional T Cells in Chronic Disease and as Targets of Therapy

Description:
Unconventional T cells are typically found in low numbers in the circulation, yet they play key roles in the immune response. For example, although Tregs represent less than 5% of total immune cells, they are essential for maintaining immune tolerance; lack of Tregs leads to the lethal Immunodysregulation Polyendocrinopathy Enteropathy X-Linked (IPEX) Syndrome. Additionally, under many circumstances unconventional T cells are long-lived and tissue resident, frequently exhibiting properties more akin to innate immune cells than their more traditional T cell counterparts. In this symposium, we will cover a broad range of unconventional T cells, their specific role in given pathologies and how to harness these cells to develop new therapeutic treatments.

Co-Chairs:
Kelly McNagny, PhD
University of British Columbia

Sylvie Lesage, Professor, Dept of Immunology
Université de Montréal

Program Agenda:
1:00 pm - 1:05pm
Opening Remarks
Kelly McNagny, PhD, University of British Columbia

1:05pm - 2:00pm
Parallel Origins and Functions of T Cells and ILCs
Kelly McNagny, PhD, University of British Columbia

2:00pm - 2:30pm
Understanding iNKT Cell Functional Heterogeneity: Towards Immunotherapy
Thierry Mallevaey, PhD, University of Toronto

2:30pm -3:00pm
ILCs and Applications in Tolerance-promoting Immunotherapies
Sarah Crome, PhD, University of Toronto

3:30pm -4:00pm
Treg Dysfunction and its Implication for Cell Therapy
Caroline Lamarche, MD, MSc, Université de Montréal

4:00pm - 4:30pm
MAIT Cells as Vaccine Targets for Viral Diseases?
Mansour Haeryfar, PhD, MSc, University of Western Ontario

4:30pm - 4:55pm
Resident Memory T Cell Subsets in Bacterial and Viral Responses
Nathalie Labrecque, PhD, Université de Montréal

4:55pm - 5:00pm
Closing Remarks
Kelly McNagny, PhD, University of British Columbia