In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a combined series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants, products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites, which are modified by a sequence of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes. In a metabolic pathway, the product of one enzyme accomplishes as the substrate for the next. These enzymes often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors to function. There are two types of metabolic pathways that are characterized by their ability to either synthesize molecules with the utilization of energy (anabolic pathway) or break down of complex molecules by releasing energy in the process (catabolic pathway). The two pathways complement each other in that the energy released from one is used up by the other.

Convenient metabolic regulation is essential for good health and well-being. The body is challenged on a daily basis with environmental and behavioral stresses that require adjustments in the type and quantity of fuels that oxidized for energy. When this ability to reciprocate to metabolic stress becomes impaired, it can lead to a number of diseases and disorders that are generally referred to as metabolic disease. Metabolic diseases affect a large proportion of the US population and have a substantial impact on the mortality rate and quality of life for afflicted individuals. Hence, many researchers are pursuing a better understanding of the underlying factors that lead to the development of metabolic diseases, the consequences of metabolic dysregulation, and the therapeutic strategies that can effectively counter the causes and consequences of this dysregulation.

To scrutinize the interface between the nervous and immune systems during development, homeostasis, and disease. The meeting will examine the mediators, mechanisms, and implications of neuro-immune crosstalk in the central and peripheral nervous systems. It will also cover originating areas such as the neuronal regulation of peripheral immune function and the influence of the microbiota on the brain. We will bring together researchers from across the fields of neuroscience and immunology to facilitate discussion of exciting new concepts and developments in both fields.

Human pathogenic viruses are regularly emerging and re-emerging, as highlighted by the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the ongoing Zika virus outbreak in the Americas. By focusing on a range of human pathogenic viruses, this meeting will center on understanding and establishing common principles to help combat current and future viral threats. Starting with basic host-virus biology, the meeting will intent to ask how basic research can inform our understanding of emerging and re-emerging viruses to help with surveillance as well as vaccine and drug development. The meeting will bring infectious-disease researchers of many stripes together with scientists interested in the host response to these viruses from immunological, cell-biological, and pharmacological perspectives.

Immunologists study the immune system to asset human health, as a multitude of disorders, ranging from cancer to infectious, autoimmune and metabolic diseases, have an underlying basis rooted in immunity. While we have experienced important advances in immune-based therapies for many types of diseases in recent years, the complexity of human biology and the diversity that makes each of us unique mannerism outstanding challenges to translate basic knowledge into effective treatments. In addition, the technological advances and the advent of big data approaches also offer incredible opportunities to discover new biological principles that govern the functioning of the human immune system during homeostasis and disease.

The immune system has the unique capacity to merge with almost every tissue in the body to promote protection against threats and to preserve organismal homeostasis. Understanding how immune cells adapt their function to the needs of each distinct tissue environment is challenging. It requires thinking about immunity in the ambience of a whole organism, where immune function is integrated to other physiological systems – such as the nervous system, metabolic tissues and barrier sites – as well as to our meta-organismal partner: the microbiome.

The field of immunometabolism has flourished over the last decade, revealing not only the major roles played by immune cells in metabolic homeostasis but also the impact of metabolic pathways on immune cell function. As new discoveries continue to reveal the intricate links between immunology and metabolism, a key question arises: will our accumulated knowledge on immunometabolic deregulations translate into novel therapies for human diseases? In this topic will focus how local and systemic metabolism are integrated at the cellular level to regulate immune cell function and will focus on how novel insights into immunometabolism can be utilised to advance and/or bolster therapeutic interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer.

Transcriptional Regulation in Development and Disease will import together researchers studying developmental biology and its disruption in disease with those examining the specific molecular and cellular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation.

As organisms age, switch over time occurs as a layered process, from molecular modifications to shifts in tissue homeostasis, ultimately leading to systemic transformations. Alterations in metabolism are found throughout the hierarchy of change and can be integral to the relationship between aging and disease as well as to the impact of aging on physiological processes such as inflammation and immunity.  Recent studies have contributed new insight into how the perturbation of metabolic factors can accelerate or impair aging processes.  Furthermore, there is a growing appreciation for the role of aging in the immune response and the need to take this phenomenon into account when considering therapeutic approaches, from vaccines to precision medicine.  It is an exciting time to consider the multifactorial nature of aging, the new biological discoveries being made, and how to translate these insights to human health as longevity reaches unprecedented levels worldwide.

Cancer metabolism is based on the principle that cancer cells, as related to normal cells, have different metabolic activities in order to support their enhanced energy and anabolic requirements. The pioneering discovery by Otto Warburg in the middle of the 20th century led to the observation that metabolic activity in tumor tissues leads to a ten-fold increase in production of lactate (from glucose) under aerobic conditions. This revelation developed a significant interest and led industry stakeholders to target metabolic pathways in an effort to find the treatment of cancer. In addition, several academic players have also initiated studies to explore the functional consequences of alterations in various metabolic pathways.

Molecular imaging of tumor metabolism has obtained considerable interest, since preclinical studies have indicated a close relationship between the activation of various oncogenes and alterations of cellular metabolism. Furthermore, several clinical trials have shown that metabolic imaging can significantly impact patient management by improving tumor staging, restaging, radiation treatment planning, and monitoring of tumor response to therapy. In this topic includes recent data on the molecular mechanisms underlying the increased metabolic activity of cancer cells and discuss imaging techniques for studies of tumor glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism.

Cancer cells display critical metabolic transformations induced by mutations that result in cell cycle deregulation associated with enhanced cellular stress. Adaptation to this stress phenotype is required for cancer cells to survive and involves the participation of genes that regulate metabolism, bioenergetics, cell death and ROS detoxification. In this text, small molecules that selectively kill cancer cells while sparing normal surrounding cells, are the desired approach for the treatment of cancer. To this aim, cancer therapeutics should target the differential features of cancer cells. Here, we briefly summarize the therapeutic strategies that involve mitochondria and their proposed mechanism of action to selectively target transformed cells.

Cytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by George Nicolas Papanicolaou in 1928. Cytopathology is generally used on samples of free cells or tissue fragments, in contrast to histopathology, which studies whole tissues. A cytopathologist is an anatomic pathologist trained in the diagnosis of human disease by means of the study of cells obtained from body secretions and fluids by scraping, washing, or sponging the surface of a lesion, or by the aspiration of a tumor mass or body organ with a fine needle. A major aspect of a cytopathologist’s practice is the interpretation of Papanicolaou-stained smears of cells from the female reproductive systems. However, the cytopathologist’s expertise is applied to the diagnosis of cells from all systems and areas of the body. The cytopathologist is a consultant to all medical specialists.