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This compilation presents minireviews derived from work presented at the Aegean
Conference: “First Crossroads between Innate and Adaptive Immunity,”
which occurred October 9–14, 2005 at the Hilton Conference Center on the island
of Rhodes, Greece. The conference included sessions dedicated to host recognition
of and response to pathogens, innate immune networks, antigen presentation,
and adaptive immune responses, each headlined by a leading scientist at
the forefront of that field. The intimate networking and interaction of dendritic
cells, T cells, B cells, NK cells, NK-T cells, and complement during the host
response to pathogens and tumors are only now starting to be elucidated. The
respective fields that focus on these immune cells and molecules tend to exist in
parallel worlds, with minimum exchange of information and ideas. The goal of
this conference was to initiate crosstalk between these immunological fields, and
to promote and facilitate discussion on the interactions between the innate immune
response and the adaptive immune response, and ultimately breed collaboration
between these areas of study. The “First Crossroads between Innate and
Adaptive Immunity” Aegean Conference succeeded in bringing together and
connecting scientists and experts from around the world to address critical areas
of innate and adaptive immunity — something necessary for the development of
more efficient scientific exchange and crosspollination between these fields. |