GoingToMeet

Vaccines have been described as one of the most cost effective public health tools in history. Despite their success, most vaccines have been made empirically, and we understand little about the mechanisms by which they stimulate protective immunity. Indeed, immunologists and vaccinologists have until recently, occupied parallel universes! Understanding the immunology of vaccines and infections is of paramount importance in the rational design of future vaccines against pandemics such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, and against emerging infections such as swine influenza and dengue. Recent advances in immunology, human genetics, and systems biology are beginning to offer a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of host immunity, and the pivotal role played by the innate immune system in shaping the adaptive immune response. Such insights are enhancing our understanding of the correlates of protective immunities, of the early innate immune signatures of vaccine efficacy, and guiding the rational design of novel and safer vaccines and adjuvants. Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination will bring together an interdisciplinary group of scientists in immunology, virology, systems biology and vaccinology, to address critical advances in these fields and their implications for vaccinology. • The importance of the innate immune system in sensing vaccines and shaping the vaccine immunity • Modulating immune memory to vaccines with innate immunity • Novel approaches to understanding host-pathogen interactions • Deconstructing the mode of action of successful vaccines, vectors adjuvants with innate immunity • Constructing new vaccines and adjuvants with innate immunity • Application of systems biology to predicting vaccine efficacy, and discovering novel immune mechanisms of protection