December 2-4, 2020 | 10:00AM ET | 3:00PM UTC*
*Program is subject to change
Bryan D. Bryson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Joao Monteiro, Nature Medicine
Lakshmi Ramachandra, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Event Date/Time: Wednesday, December 2, 2:30–3:30PM EST
As part of our commitment to support and train the next generation of scientific leaders from all backgrounds, Keystone Symposia hosts Career Roundtables at selected in-person and virtual conferences. These workshops create a forum for field leaders to provide their unique perspectives on career development, professional pitfalls and the breadth of scientific opportunities available to support trainee scientists. Established researchers are chosen from a broad range of backgrounds (i.e., diverse demographics, career stages and career paths) to reflect a myriad of career paths and experiences. A panel discussion is followed by break out group sessions to enable trainees to interact with each senior scientist in a comfortable small group setting, to address specific questions, allow for mentorship and networking.
For additional career advancement advice, see our Keypoint Blog "Words of Wisdom from Career Roundtables" with tips gleaned from past events on how to launch your career in academia, industry, publishing and beyond. Whether you are a student, post-doc, or early career investigator, check out these pearls of wisdom for all career stages!
Intravenous BCG vaccination contributes to protection against Mtb via long-term remodeling of the pulmonary myeloid compartment
Alveolar macrophages are a major replicative niche for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and facilitate the entry of mycobacteria into the lung parenchyma. As such, alveolar macrophages are an attractive target for interventions aimed at preventing Mtb infection. Recent reports have described heightened anti-bacterial responses by myeloid cells in the bone marrow and blood of mice and humans vaccinated with BCG. However, it is unclear how BCG immunization affects tissue-resident myeloid populations. In the present study, we evaluated the long-term effects of BCG vaccination on alveolar macrophages in vivo. We used a BCG vaccination model in which mice were immunized via the intravenous (iv) route, previously shown to stimulate systemic inflammation and enhanced myelopoiesis in the bone marrow. In contrast to conventional subcutaneous (sc) BCG immunization, iv inoculation dramatically altered the composition of the myeloid cell compartment in the lung, triggering a striking, yet transient, depletion in alveolar macrophages that was dependent on IFNγ-producing T cells. The empty alveolar niche was subsequently re-populated by interferon-primed macrophages, likely derived from blood monocytes, that displayed heightened resistance to Mtb upon challenge 5 months after vaccination. Our results indicate that in promoting a robust Th1 response, systemic BCG immunization has a profound and long-term impact on lung-resident macrophages, affecting both their subset composition and responsiveness to microbial stimuli. This remodeling of the lung myeloid compartment may contribute to the enhanced protection against Mtb reported in experimental animals immunized with BCG via the iv route.
This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIAID, NIH.
Salvatore Fabbiano, Cell Press’ “Med” Journal
George Hills, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Zeljko Durdevic, EMBO Molecular Medicine
Francesca Dickens, Frontiers in Tropical Diseases
Event Date/Time: Thursday, December 3, 2:30–3:30PM EST
Meet-the-Editor panels are important aspects of both in-person and virtual Keystone Symposia meetings, designed to foster connections between editors and scientists. These mutually beneficial relationships help to facilitate the publication process for researchers, while providing editors insight into exciting new discoveries and research directions to showcase in upcoming journal issues. We encourage you to take advantage of this special session, and to reach out to these editors during the meeting, to get the inside scoop on fast-tracking your work for publication.
Join us for this 30-minute ePanel discussion followed by a 30-minute live Q/A, and ask these editors your burning questions!