Core Competencies in Basic Science Scientific Program

7 February, 2022 | 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. EST

 

1:00 – 1:10 p.m.
WELCOME AND OVERVIEW

Tereza Martinu, MD, MHS, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
 

1:10 – 2:10 p.m.
SESSION 1 – ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY IN THORACIC TRANSPLANTATION

Chair: Esme Dijke, PhD, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
 
1:10 p.m. – Overview of Adaptive Immunity in Transplantation: Attack of the Clones (15 minutes)
Federica Meloni, MD PhD, Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. T/B cell receptors, diversity of specificities
  2. Antigen presentation: Intracellular and extracellular antigens and direct versus indirect alloimmunity
  3. Compare pathology and epidemiology of acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejection in heart and lung transplant
     
1:25 p.m. – T cells: They Pity the Fool that Don't be Cool (15 minutes)
Carla Baan, PhD, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Thymic development and T cell signaling
  2. Why are there alloreactive T cells in the first place?
  3. Major T cell types and their roles: CD8, CD4, Tregs, central/effector memory, tissue resident vs. lymphoid
  4. Cytokines and their associated helper T cell subsets and their roles: Th1, Th2, Th17
  5. T cell Metabolome
     
1:40 p.m. – B cells: You too Can be a B-liever (15 minutes)
Simon Urschel, MD PhD, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. How does antibody-mediated rejection happen?
  2. From co-stimulation to complement and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, with attention to therapeutic targets
  3. B cells in antigen presentation
  4. Immune protection from B cells (suppression, cytoprotection, immune regulation)
     
1:55 p.m. – Panel Discussion – What cell is most important in acute rejection? (15 minutes)
 

2:10 – 2:15 p.m.
BREAK

2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
SESSION 2 – INNATE IMMUNITY IN THORACIC TRANSPLANTATION

Chair: John Greenland, MD PhD, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
 
2:15 p.m. – Overview of Innate Immunity in Transplantation: Every Body Needs a Hero (15 minutes)
Glen Westall, MD PhD, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. The various barriers of innate immunity (physical, chemical and cellular)
  2. Signaling pathways (TLR, PRR, DAMPs, PAMPs)
  3. Interaction of complement and innate immune cells with adaptive immunity
  4. The role of innate immunity in ischemia-reperfusion injury
  5. Contrast lung versus heart-specific concepts.
     
2:30 p.m. – Neutrophils: The First Responders (15 minutes)
Andrew Gelman, PhD, Washington University, St-Louis, MO, USA

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Characteristics of neutrophils and role in inflammation
  2. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)
  3. The role of neutrophils in transplantation
     
2:45 p.m. – Macrophages and Dendritic Cells: The Usual Suspects (15 minutes)
Stephen Juvet, MD PhD, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Characteristics of macrophages and DCs
  2. Phagocytosis, antigen processing and presentation
  3. The role of DCs and macrophages in inflammation and transplantation
     
3:00 p.m. – Innate Lymphoid Cells: The Unusual Suspects (15 minutes)
Christine Falk, PhD, Hannover Medical School, Germany

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Characteristics of ILCs, NK cells and T cells
  2. The role of ILCs, NK cells and T cells in inflammation and transplantation
  3. Immune memory in innate immunity
     
3:15 p.m. – Panel Discussion – What cell is most important to PGD (15 minutes)
 

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
SESSION 3 – FIBROSIS AND TRANSPLANT TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Chair: Tereza Martinu, MD, MHS, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
 
3:30 – Transplantation Endgame: Fibrosis Pathways (15 minutes)
Stijn Verleden, PhD, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. The roles and manifestations of fibrosis in chronic rejection of the heart and lung
  2. Triggers of fibrosis
  3. Injury and dysregulated repair
  4. Pro-fibrotic factors; Fibroblast phenotypes
  5. Extracellular matrix; Origins of fibroblasts (local proliferation and migration, fibrocytes, epithelial-mesenchymal transition)
     
3:45 p.m. – Cellular Assays: The Sixth Sense (15 minutes)
Carla Baan, PhD, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Describe the concepts behind high parameter flow cytometry and mass cytometry, Seahorse assay, confocal and intravital microscopy
  2. Focus on the use of these tools for the study of acute cellular rejection
     
4:00 p.m. – Mouse Modeling in Thoracic Transplantation: Secrets of NIMH (15 minutes)
Stephen Juvet, MD PhD, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Teaching/Discussion Points
  1. Describe approaches to designing mouse model-based studies
  2. What controls need to be considered
  3. Genetically-engineered mice
  4. Focus on the use of these tools for the study of chronic rejection.
     
4:15 p.m. – Q&A Discussion (10 minutes)
 

4:25 – 4:30 p.m.
CLOSING REMARKS

Tereza Martinu, MD MHS, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada