KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Learn more about our exceptional keynote speakers and join us to hear their insights.
Below you will find the topics of their lectures:

Julie Déchanet-Merville: Response of gamma-delta T cells to viruses
Donna Farber: The changing landscape of human tissue immunity over life
Manfred Kopf: Development and function of lung macrophages
Georg Schett: CAR T cell therapy in autoimmune disease

Find out about our keynote speakers by reading below:

Julie Déchanet-Merville (France)
Julie Déchanet-Merville received her PhD in Immunology from the University of Lyon (France) in 1995. There, she studied the final stages of B lymphocyte differentiation in the Schering-Plough laboratory for Immunological Research directed by Dr. Jacques Banchereau.  She then experienced in the field of human transplantation immunology along a fellowship in the team of Pr. Jean-Francois Moreau in Bordeaux University. She was recruited as junior scientist by the CNRS in 1998 and settled a research group focused on the implication of DC-SIGN and of human gamma-delta T cells in the host response to cytomegalovirus infection. Her team discovered the antiviral role of gamma-delta T lymphocytes against human cytomegalovirus and pioneered studies on their function and antigen specificity. She develops a basic and translational research focused on the functions of human gamma-delta T lymphocytes in the context of cancer, viral infections and organ transplantation. Her studies range from the molecular analysis of gamma-delta T cell antigens, to the development of pre-clinical mouse models and the investigation of patient cohorts. We developed technologies for T cell cultures and engineering, TCR protein analysis, production of monoclonal antibodies and TCR antigen identification. She currently heads a CNRS research laboratory (~80 staff members) and the flow cytometry facility in Bordeaux University. Many of her studies have involved tight and long-lasting interactions with the clinical transplantation department of Bordeaux University Hospital and collaborations with academic partners at the national and international levels. She more recently involved in local cancer research organizations, participating to the steering committees of SIRIC BRIO and Oncosphere, and leading the Bordeaux University Impulsion Network NEWMOON.  She is also engaged in the training of basic science and medical students in human immunology. She was awarded the silver medal of CNRS in 2023.

Donna Farber (USA)
Donna L. Farber, Ph.D. is the George H Humphreys, II Professor of Surgical Sciences (in Surgery), Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University. The focus of Dr. Farber’s research is on anti-viral immunity and human immunology. Dr. Farber’s laboratory originally identified tissue resident memory T cells in the lung which mediate optimal protective immunity to respiratory virus infections. These findings led her to establish a major initiative in translational immunology to study human tissue immunity and its development from infancy through adulthood in multiple mucosal and lymphoid tissues from organ donors of all ages. Dr. Farber currently is the Director of the Human Tissue immunity and Disease Initiative at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and leads NIH/NIAID-funded Program grants on human immunity, anti-viral responses and is part of the Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC), and the NIH/NHLBI consortium on human lung aging. She also leads a multi-investigator team to on “Vaccine efficacy and Tissue immunity” funded by the Department of Defense, with the goal of identifying signatures which predict vaccine efficacy. Her research is also supported by the Helmsley Charitable trust and the Chan-Zuckerberg seed network for the Human Cell Atlas. She has over 170 publications, is a fellow of the AAAS, a distinguished fellow of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), and has served on advisory committees for the NIH, AAI, and multiple editorial boards.

Manfred Kopf (Switzerland)
Manfred Kopf completed his PhD in the lab of the Nobel laureate Georges Köhler at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology, Freiburg, Germany by 1994, from where he moved as a group leader to the legendary Basel Institute of Immunology until its closure in 2001. Moving on from there, he became full professor of Molecular Biomedicine at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (ETH) Zürich. His lab has been investigating the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms in inflammatory diseases and various acute and chronic infectious diseases with a focus on the role of T cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages. Moreover, there is a long-standing interest in the role of cytokines in health and disease.  Over the past 30 years, he provided seminal contributions to the characterization of the functions of a variety of cytokines including IL-1, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12, IL-21, IL-36, IFN-g, and GM-CSF in vivo. He is a co-founder of the ETH spin-off Tepthera, which was acquired by Repertoire Immune Medicine.

Georg Schett (Germany)
Georg Schett is Professor of Internal Medicine and since 2006 head of the Department of Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. Professor Schett graduated from the University of Innsbruck (Austria) in 1994. After his dissertation from medical school, he worked as scientist at the Institute of BioMedical Aging Research of the Austrian Academy of Science in Innsbruck. Two years later, he joined the Department of Medicine at the University of Vienna, where he completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and subsequently in Rheumatology. In 2003 he was promoted to professor of Internal Medicine. Before accepting his position as the chair of the Department of Internal Medicine 3 in Erlangen, he worked as a scientist in the United States of America for one year. Georg Schett’s scientific work includes a broad spectrum of clinical and immunological issues, particularly the molecular basics of immune-inflammatory diseases. Initially, he investigated the immunology of atherosclerosis and focused on antibody-mediated endothelial cell damage. His research work led to the understanding of the phenomenon of LE-cells in 2007. He was awarded the renowned START Award in 2002 and established a research group for arthritis in Vienna. In 2008, he initiated in collaboration with colleagues the priority program IMMUNOBONE in Germany, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). IMMUNOBONE aims to elucidate the interactions between the skeletal and the immune systems. Since 2015, Prof. Schett has led the DFG collaborative research centre 1181 “Checkpoints for Resolution of Inflammation” in Erlangen. Additionally, he is spokesperson of the project METARTHROS, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which investigates the impact of the metabolism on arthritis. In 2019, he received funding for the ERC-Synergy grant “4D+ nanoSCOPE Advancing osteoporosis medicine by observing bone microstructure and remodelling using a fourdimensional nanoscope” of which he is spokesperson. 4D nanoSCOPE aims to develop tools and techniques to permit time-resolved imaging and characterization of bone in three spatial dimensions (both in vitro and in vivo), thereby permitting monitoring of bone remodelling and revolutionizing the understanding of bone morphology and its function. In 2021, Prof. Schett was appointed Vice President for Research at the Friedrich Alexander University of ErlangenNuremberg and became a Leopoldina member of the German National Academy of Sciences.

INVITED SPEAKERS:

Siroon Bekkering (NL)
Christian Blank (NL)
Niels Eijkelkamp (NL)
Abhishek Garg (BE)
Tanja de Gruijl (NL)
Hamida Hammad (BE)
Markus Kleinewietfeld (BE)
Sophie Lucas (BE)
Etienne Meylan (BE)
Xavier Saelens (BE)
Janneke Samsom (NL)
Lidia Yshii (BE)

Abstract submission deadline was Sunday 10 September 2023 - 23:59 hrs. Submission of your abstract is no longer possible.
At the beginning of October authors will receive notification of acceptance for an oral or poster presentation. The Scientific Programme Committee will decide on acceptance of your abstract. Correspondence on this decision is not possible.

For information and questions please consult the Meeting Secretariat:
Connect MEETings via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tel: +31 6 83563952.

The Belgium Immunology Society (BIS) and the Dutch Society for Immunology (DSI) aims to increase the visibility of excellent young immunologists and has initiated a competition to select the best thesis in immunology. The winner 2023 gets the opportunity to present her or his work during a 20 minutes plenary presentation during the Joint Belgian-Dutch Immunology Meeting 2023 and in addition will receive a reward of 1000 Euro.

The Van Bekkum Thesis award for The Netherlands will be selected by the Thesis Award committee. Candidates should have defended their thesis between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. Promotor and candidate must have been members of the NVvI for at least 1 year, and in any case in the year prior to the nomination. Digital thesis link and four copies of the thesis together with a letter of the supervisor(s) that explains why the thesis is exceptional, should be sent before October 13, 2023 to: NVVI Secretariat: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
More information available HERE.

The Belgian award will be selected by the Thesis Award committee. Candidates should have defended their thesis between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. Promotor and candidate must be members of BIS in 2023. To become a BIS member click HERE. Digital thesis link or pdf version of the thesis together with a letter of the supervisor(s) that explains why the thesis is exceptional, should be sent before October 13, 2023 to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

* participation of Master student - membership is not necessary, but a confirmation of your supervisor is mandatory.

Registration fee includes:

• Access to the scientific sessions
• Certificate of attendance
• All coffee/tea and lunch breaks
• When registering for Tuesday; dinner and party are included in the fee

Hotel accommodation in various prize categories can be booked HERE.

Date:
Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd of November 2023

Venue:
Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp - A Room with a ZOO
Koningin Astridplein 20-26
2018 Antwerp
Belgium

The meeting is taking place in Antwerp, Belgium in the Flanders Meeting & Convention Center – also known as A Room with a ZOO. The Flanders Meeting & Convention Center is a unique venue, situated in the award winning 19th Century Antwerp ZOO. It is part of the ZOO Foundation. Every cent spent at the conference centre directly contributes to the foundation’s efforts in the field of animal welfare, heritage, breeding programmes, research and nature conservation.

Getting there:
The Flanders Meeting & Convention Center is opposite the beautiful Antwerp Central Station, and guarantees easy access by public transport, with train, tram, and bus stops all within walking distance. The smartest way to get to A Room with a ZOO is by train but the city is also easily reachable by car and coach because of its location on a crossroads of European motorways.

IMPORTANT: A Room with a ZOO is situated in a low emission zone (LEZ). Find out more about the low emission policy of the city of Antwerp.
A good number of car parks are available in the immediate vicinity of A Room with a ZOO. Electronic signposts announce the location of car parks and free spaces (purple zone).

More information can be found HERE.

We look forward to welcoming you during our meeting! We created a varied and suitable sponsor prospectus. Together with you, We will look for a suitable sponsor package that is as attractive as possible for both.
Applications will be processed and assigned in the order in which they are received.

Contactperson:
Bjorn van der Wal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.