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AAAAI News: January 2007
 2007 Annual Meeting News
Presidential Plenary
Session highlights relationship of indoor allergens, allergic disease
Presidential Plenary Session presenters will compare immunologic tolerance to inhaled allergens with that of food allergens, and discuss allergen avoidance strategies for inhalants and foods, and how these are best used in clinical practice. The Presidential Plenary Session is Sunday, February 25, from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
The session will highlight the relative importance of sensitization and exposure to indoor allergens as risk factors for allergic disease. Delegates will learn how allergen exposure influences immunologic events that result in clinical tolerance to inhaled allergens.
Allergen Exposure and Chronic Allergic Disease (#3101)
8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
Moderator: Thomas B. Casale, MD, FAAAAI
8:15 a.m. Sensitization and Tolerance to Inhalant Allergens
Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Although it is now clear that the IgE antibody response to “high dose” inhalant allergen exposure is not the same for all allergen sources, Platts-Mills will discuss several questions that are only partially answered:
- Are the differences primarily due to the relative “foreignness” of the proteins or to associated “adjuvants” such as endotoxin and DNA?
- Does the IgG antibody that is part of the modified Th2 response help to control symptoms because of the properties of IgG4, or are there other mechanisms that “control” symptoms in patient with IgE antibodies?
- Are total serum IgE levels high in patients with asthma because specific IgE ab responses add to the total IgE, or because of nonspecific effects on IgE production?
- Is the “tolerant” response an inevitable consequence of high dose exposure or does the nature of the peptide motifs in the protein influence the response?
8:45 a.m. Importance of Allergen Exposure to Inner City Asthma
Rebecca S. Gruchalla, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
Inner city asthmatic children are exposed to high levels of indoor allergens. While exposure is often related to increased sensitivity and asthma-associated morbidity, a direct relationship between exposure and sensitization/morbidity is not always seen. Gruchalla will discuss the varied roles certain allergens appear to play in the severity of asthma. In addition, she will address the marked regional differences in indoor allergen levels as well as sensitivity to these allergens. While one allergen may play a major role in asthma-associated morbidity in one part of the country, it plays only a minor role in other regions. The presentation will discuss how allergen levels vary according to region and their relationship to sensitivity and morbidity in these areas.
Gruchalla is also the recipient of the Gail Shapiro Memorial Lectureship. The lectureship honors Gail G. Shapiro, MD, FAAAAI, who passed away in August, 2006, for her outstanding contributions to the A/I specialty. Commemorative lectureships acknowledge the accomplishments of members who have been instrumental in putting down the roots on which the field of allergy/immunology has grown.
9:15 a.m. Sensitivity to Foods as an Aberration of the Normal Tolerant Response
A. Wesley Burks, MD, FAAAAI
It is thought that a breakdown in oral tolerance mechanisms or a failure of induction of oral tolerance results in food allergy. Oral tolerance appears to represent a mechanism to limit immune-mediated inflammation in response to innocuous dietary antigens. It is characterized by decreased T-cell responsiveness to specific antigen after oral feeding of the antigen. An aberration of oral tolerance, food allergy, occurs in 6% of children and 3.5% of adults in the United States. The lecture will discuss the breakdown in oral tolerance and its effect on the development of food allergy.
State-of-the-Art Sessions focus on research, clinical topics
The State-of-the-Art Sessions at the 2007 Annual Meeting will focus on cutting-edge research and clinical topics from each Interest Section. These sessions will be held concurrently on Saturday, February 24, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Basic and Clinical Immunology (BCI): Pathogen Recognition Receptors in Inflammation and Immunity (#2502)
Moderator: David D. Chaplin, MD, PhD, FAAAAI
The session will explore the roles of pattern recognition receptors, both TLR and non-TLR, in the regulation of the host immune response. Bali Pulendran, PhD, will focus on the role pattern recognition receptors play in responses to vaccines, and Jenny P-Y Ting, PhD, will discuss the impact of intracellular pathogen recognition molecules on inflammation and immunity.
Health Care Education, Delivery and Quality (HCEDQ): Insight Into Disparities in Pediatric Asthma (#2505)
Moderator: David A. Stempel, MD, FAAAAI
The session will highlight two topics. First, Andrew H. Liu, MD, FAAAAI, will focus on the validity of the hygiene hypothesis in the inner city, and how to resolve the inherent contradiction between hygiene and the inner city. The second presentation, made by Glenn Flores, MD, will discuss strategies to reduce asthma hospitalizations in the inner city.
Mechanisms of Asthma and Allergic Inflammation (MAAI): The Central Role of the TSLP-OX40 Ligand Pathway in Polarizing Allergic Immune Responses (#2506)
Moderator: Calman Prussin, MD, FAAAAI
The TSLP-OX40 ligand pathway has been described as the “master switch” of allergic immune responses and is a potential therapeutic target. In this session, presenter Yong-Jun Liu, MD, PhD, reviews the central role of the TSLP-OX40 ligand pathway in polarizing human Th2 cell responses to antigen, and in the generation of allergic inflammation.
Other State-of-the-Art Sessions include:
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Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment (ADT): Asthma Immunopathogenesis: A Pathway For Future Therapy (#2501)
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Environmental and Occupational Respiratory Diseases (EORD): Gene/Environment Interactions (#2503)
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Food allergy, Anaphylaxis, Dermatology and Drug Allergy (FADDA): Role of Food Allergy and Patch Testing in Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Gastroenteritis (#2504)
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Rhinitis, Sinusitis and Ocular Diseases (RSOD): Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Inflammatory Effects (#2507)
For more information, review your Preliminary Program or visit the Annual Meeting Web site, www.annualmeeting.aaaai.org.
Member Service Programs focus on needs of practicing A/Is
The Member Service Programs at the 2007 Annual Meeting will address critical information for the successful practice of allergy/immunology. These sessions will be held on Saturday, February 24, Sunday, February 25, and Monday, February 26, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
The ABAI Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program: What’s New for 2007 (#3001)
American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI)
Sunday, February 25, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Moderator: David B. Peden , MD, FAAAAI
Presenter: John W. Yunginger, MD, FAAAAI
The session will review the ABAI MOC program components, with emphasis on those that are new in 2007. The 2006 MOC examination results will also be reviewed. In addition, frequently-asked questions from 2006 RSL Leadership Forums and other venues will be discussed, and ample time will be available for questions from delegates.
Other Member Service Programs include:
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Pay for Performance: What It Means for the Practicing Allergist (#2001)
Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (JCAAI)
Saturday, February 24, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (#4001)
Monday, February 26, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Please review your Preliminary Program or visit the Annual Meeting Web site, www.annualmeeting.aaaai.org, for more information.
To help members learn more about upcoming Annual Meeting sessions, in this and future issues, AAAAI News will highlight the topics presented during the Member Service Programs.
To help members learn more about upcoming Annual Meeting sessions, in this and future issues, AAAAI News will highlight the topics covered by each Interest Section in their individual State-of-the-Art sessions and the topics presented during the Member Service Programs.
 Plan schedule, use itinerary planner
Coordinate your busy Annual Meeting schedule and choose sessions based on your individual interests with the 2007 Annual Meeting online itinerary planner, available via the Annual Meeting Web site, www.annualmeeting.aaaai.org.
The itinerary planner contains the most up-to-date meeting information, and delegates may browse the Annual Meeting schedule by session type, including courses, seminars and workshops, Interest Section Forums, Pro/Con Debates or State-of-the-Art Sessions.
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Annual Meeting dates to remember
January 14, 2007
• 2008 AAAAI Annual Meeting session topic ideas due
January 24, 2007
• Delegate pre-registration and hotel reservations deadline
February 12, 2007
• Delegate hotel reservation cancellation deadline
Primary Immunodeficiency Disease Consortium Conference
Thursday, February 22, 2007 • 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. • San Diego, CA
Keynote speakers: Bodo Grimbacher, MD, and Nick Gascoigne, MD
Speakers: Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; Kathleen E. Sullivan, MD, PhD; Jordan Orange, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; Hans D. Ochs, MD; and Thomas A. Fleisher, MD, FAAAAI
The Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) will host the third Primary Immunodeficiency Disease Consortium Conference in conjunction with the AAAAI Annual Meeting. The conference will be geared towards Fellows-in-Training (FITs) and junior faculty, as well as noted experts in the field, and will include formal presentations and an interactive panel session based on case discussions from FITs.
The primary goal of the conference is to continue to advance education on the diagnosis, molecular defects, complications, and treatment of these complex immune deficiency diseases. The conference will also help develop the careers of new scientists in this area of academic medicine, and enhance awareness of clinical immunology and its importance in scientific discoveries and clinical applications. In addition, the conference will stimulate future collaborations between investigators in different medical centers and countries, and between new investigators and experienced physician/scientists in the field.
The registration fee for the conference is $50.00. To register, visit the AAAAI Annual Meeting Web site, www.annualmeeting.aaaai.org. For more information, contact Michelle Roach at the CIS National Office at (414) 224-8095 or e-mail mroach@clinimmsoc.org.
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