Targeting the immune system in disease. Highlights from the Society for Medicines Research meeting

Immune homeostasis and surveillance are fundamental mechanisms that protect from environmental stress, infections and disease. Recent advances have shown us how dysfunction of the immune system and overt inflammation contribute to the development and worsening of major noncommunicable diseases, including neurodegenerative disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many
others. The purpose of this Society for Medicines Research (SMR) Conference was to discuss the latest biological breakthroughs in immunology and how these discoveries are being applied to understand and target fundamental pathological
mechanisms across therapeutic areas. The meeting brought together renowned experts who are making fundamental breakthroughs in disease areas such as neuroinflammation, cardiovascular disease and immuno-oncology to discuss the latest advances and outline important areas for future research. The meeting highlighted our increasing understanding of key inflammatory pathways that underlie the progressive pathology seen across a range of disease states such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, oncology and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, we learnt how these discoveries are being translated into novel therapies that are designed to target key inflammatory pathways and modify human disease. This SMR symposium was held at the Chancellors Conference Centre, Manchester, hosted by the University of Manchester, and sponsored by Astex Pharmaceuticals, Immunocore and the Merck Group.