Atherosclerosis and its complications remain the primary cause of death in the industrialized world and emerging economies worldwide. Dyslipidemia constitutes a significant risk factor for the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions but may also lead to systemic disturbances - particularly metabolic dysfunction - that also influence cellular metabolism and function. 

Atherosclerotic lesions formation is initiated after retention of cholesterol-rich lipoproteins within the arterial wall at sites characterized by low shear stress. Modification of retained lipoproteins and activation of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells trigger an inflammatory response and provoke a series of cellular events involving complex interactions between vascular cells, innate immune cells, and cells involved in adaptive immunity to atherosclerosis-related antigens. Recently, a remarkable heterogeneity of the immune cell compartment in atherosclerotic lesions has been found. Depending on the balance between pro-inflammatory responses and resolution promoting pathways, lesion development is either delayed or accelerated towards the formation of advanced and complex plaques characterized by chronic unresolved inflammation, extensive matrix remodeling and formation of large thrombogenic necrotic cores. Defective repair and weakening of the protective fibrous cap ultimately lead to plaque disruption, which triggers acute thrombosis and vascular occlusion. Because of these complexities, systems approaches are needed to untangle the underlying disease mechanisms of chronic inflammation and atherogenesis.

This meeting aims to provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of current research on atherosclerosis with a focus on the latest and most exciting developments in the immuno-metabolic mechanisms that govern disease initiation and progression. There is little doubt that the next most exciting therapy to combat cardiovascular disease will be based on targeting biological pathways that will have been discussed during this conference.

Seven sessions are planned and will highlight the following major research areas:

• Cellular vessel wall and plaque diversity
• Lipids and lipoproteins in inflammation
• Cellular lipid metabolism and immunity
• Innate immunity, neutrophil and macrophage biology
• Adaptive immune mechanisms
• Immunometabolism and leukocytes
• Neuroimmune signaling
• Systems analyses
• Human translational studies and clinical trials

This conference will bring together a restricted but high-level group of scientists from different disciplines and participants from all career levels enabling thorough discussions of the latest research between established and young investigators and trainees and cross-fertilization among scientists from various backgrounds.

Christoph Binder, Eicke Latz, and Ziad Mallat (Co-Chairs) look forward to welcoming you to Cancun, Mexico, from May 1-4, 2022.

Student Offer

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for students! Register an academic at the earlybird rate and bring a student for only $765. Unfortunately, Postdocs are not eligible. Both registration packages include; accommodation for the 01, 02, 03 May 2022 (on a shared basis for students) and a 24hour all-inclusive food and beverage package for the conference period. Once registered, please contact Chloe Trundle to obtain a special registration link for your student. 

Confirmed Speakers

Ido Amit (Weitzmann Institute of Science)
THE POWER OF ONE: IMMUNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF SINGLE CELL GENOMICS
Veronique Angeli (NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine)
TUNICA ADVENTITIA: A DYNAMIC COMPARTMENT WITH CRITICAL FUNCTIONS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Charles Dinarello (Univeristy of Colorado)
OLT1177 (DAPANSUTRILE) IS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ORAL NLRP3 SPECIFIC INHIBITOR IN HUMANS
Zahi Fayad (Icahn School of Medicine)
NEW ADVANCES IN ImmunoPET IMAGING OF METABOLIC PROCESSES IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Chiara Giannarelli (NYU Langone Health)
DEEP PHENOTYPING OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE
Florent Ginhoux (A*STAR)
MACROPHAGE BIOLOGY: FROM DEVELOPMENT TO DISEASE
Helle Jørgensen (University of Cambridge)
VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL PLASTICITY IN DISEASE
Minna Kaikkonen-Määttä (University of Eastern Finland)
GENETIC CONTRIBUTION OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS ASSOCIATED CELL STATES TO DISEASE RISK
Klaus Ley (La Jolla Institute for Immunology)
APOB-SPECIFIC CD4 T CELLS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Peter Libby (Harvard Medical School / Brigham and Women's Hospital)
UPDATE ON THE CLINICAL TRANSLATION OF INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNITY BIOLOGY IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Esther Lutgens (Amsterdam University Medical Centre)
THE CELL SPECIFIC IMMUNE CHECKPOINT LANDSCAPE OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Stephen Malin (Karolinska Institutet)
HOW DOES ATHEROGENIC DYSLIPIDEMIA INITIATE ATHEROSCLEROSIS?
Willem Mulder (Eindhoven University of Technology)
TREATING INFLAMMATORY ATHEROSCLEROSIS WITH NANOBIOLOGIC THERAPEUTICS 
Gwendalyn Randolph (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis)
GUT-DERIVED HDL
Oliver Söhnlein (University of Münster)
NEUTROPHILS IN CHRONIC INFLAMMATION – FROM PHYSIOLOGY TO THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION
Fil Swirski (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
LIFESTYLE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND THE BRAIN
Christoph Thaiss (University of Pennsylvania)
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON METABOLIC DISEASE
Edward B. Thorp (Northwestern University)
METABOLIC REGULATION OF MACROPHAGES IN INFLAMMATORY HEARTS
Laurent Yvan-Charvet (Université Côte d'Azur)
HEPATIC VS. MACROPHAGE GLUTAMINOLYSIS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Target Audience

We encourage young scientists/clinicians to attend and expect broad representation from various disciplines. The conference will especially appeal to scientists, scientists/clinicians in academia, biotech and pharmaceutical companies with interest in Cardiovascular Medicine/Biology, Immunology, Metabolic Diseases, Immuno-Metabolism, Molecular/Cellular Biology and Epigenetics.

Educational Need

Graduate students, postdocs, and junior researchers will gain a cutting-edge overview of the field. They will have the extraordinary opportunity to discuss the latest developments with world-leading experts in an informal and highly conducive setting.