Are you measuring or want to measure cytokines ? , trying to optimise your technique or do you want just to make sure you are going about it the right way?

This meeting aims to summarise some of the options open to you and to discuss which techniques best suit your requirements. A series of presentations from experts working in the academic, clinical and commercial sectors will compare recent developments in technologies ranging from relatively “low-tech” assays such as ELISA, Elispot and bioassays through to the “high-tech” platform technologies of various multiplex cytokine detection systems. Their use in basic science, R&D and translational research will be discussed.

We invite abstract submissions.  A prize of a year’s subscription to Nature Reviews Immunology at the conclusion of the day will be awarded to the best oral/poster presentation. We encourage you to submit abstracts for these sessions, which are designed to promote a balanced program of talks, delivered by both well-established, pre-eminent researchers in the field as well as those starting out on their careers.

This event  has CPD accreditation

This meeting will have a  troubleshooting panel session.  
On registration you will be able to submit your questions to the panel that will be asked by the chair on the day of the event

8:45 - 9:30             Registration

9:30 - 9:45            Introduction by the Chair: Dr Stephen Thompson, King's College London, UK

9:45 - 10:15          Cytokine detection in collagen-induced arthritis

Dr Richard Williams, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division, Imperial College, UK

Collagen-induced arthritis is a model of rheumatoid arthritis that has been used extensively to validate novel therapeutic targets. The main pathological features of the disease include synovitis, pannus formation and joint erosion. There is a great deal of interest in the development and testing of drugs with the capacity to modulate inflammatory pathways in arthritis. Hence, there is a need to monitor the effect of novel treatments on cytokine expression in vivo. This presentation will focus on the techniques used to quantify changes in cytokine expression following therapeutic intervention

10:15 - 10:45       Using ELIspot to detect rare antigen specific T cells

Dr Tim Tree, Kings College, London

10:45 - 11:15       TALK TO BE CONFIRMED

11:15 - 11:25        Speakers photo

11:25 – 12:00       Mid-morning break and poster viewing

12:00 - 12:30        IL-10, regulatory T cells and respiratory health: the role of the vitamin D pathway

Dr Catherine Hawrylowicz, Kings College, London 

12:30 – 13:00      Application of cytokines assays in the biotechnology sector - from proof-of-principle to clinical trials

Dr  James N Francis, Senior Vaccine Development Scientist, Immune Targeting Systems Ltd

13:00 - 13:10         Introduction to the Biopark

13:10 – 14:00       Lunch and poster viewing

14:45 - 15:45       Troubleshooting Panel Discussion

15:45 - 16:00       Afternoon Tea/Coffee and last poster viewing

16:00 – 16:30       Failing IHC visualization of small proteins

Dr Chris van der Loos, the Netherlands

16:30 - 17:00         Differing multiplex cytokine analysis platforms

                                 Dr Gendie Lash, Newcastle University, UK

17:00 - 17:30       Chairman's summing up & close.

18:00      18:00     Soiree at *The Best Western Homestead Court Hotel for all the participants

About the Chair:

Stephen Thompson received his B.Sc. in Cellular Pathology from the University of Bristol in 1984. He received his PhD in 1989 for studies characterising the role of House Dust Mite allergens in children with asthma and eczema. After these studies he began working on murine models of inflammatory arthritis, most notably pristane-induced arthritis, where he and his group were one of the first to characterise the immunopathology of this disease. Through the award of Arthritis Research Campaign post-doctoral fellowships (both in the UK and at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, USA) he developed his interests in the role of stress proteins as inducers or targets of regulatory T cells and their potential use as anti-inflammatory immune modulators. He is currently based at Kings College London, Department of Rheumatology at Guys Hospital where he and his colleagues continue translational research to evaluate novel immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

About  the Speakers

Richard Williams is a Senior Lecturer at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division of Imperial College London. He has been working for many years towards the development of novel therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis using collagen-induced arthritis as an animal model. His work contributed to the successful development of anti-TNF therapy and introduced the concept of combination therapy, targeting both TNFa and T cells.

Dr Gendie Lash obtained her undergraduate and PhD degrees in Biochemistry from University ofOtago, Dunedin, New Zealand, completed in 1997.  She then did Post-Doc jobs in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Nottingham and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada where she held a Canadian Hypertension Society Post-Doctoral Fellowship.  In 2002 she moved to Newcastle University where she has been ever since and currently is a Newcastle University Faculty of Medicine Research Fellow.  Her research focuses on maternal adaptations to pregnancy, with particular interest in regulation of trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling.  More specifically her research involves studying the role of uterine natural killer cell-derived cytokines and growth factors in both non-pregnant endometrium and early pregnancy decidua in relation to vascular development.

This meeting was organised by Euroscicon (www.euroscicon.com), a team  of dedicated professionals working for the continuous improvement of technical knowledge transfer to all scientists. Euroscicon believe that they can make a positive difference to the quality of science by providing cutting edge information on new technological advancements to the scientific community.  This is provided via our exceptional services to individual scientists, research institutions and industry. The event was hosted by 'BioPark (www.biopark.co.uk), a research and development centre in Welwyn Garden City providing specialist facilities and support for bioscience and health technology businesses to grow, and to develop new products and technologies

*To book your accommodation at BEST WESTERN HOMESTEAD COURT HOTEL and any travel arrangements please download the booking form or contact us with your requirements toaccommodationandtravel@euroscicon.com / + 44 (0) 1926 888027.  We will negotiate the best rates for you