T and B Cell Collaboration in Germinal Centers and Beyond (J2)
October 1-4, 2023  | Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler, BC, Canada
Shane Crotty, Michela Locci and Jennifer L. Gommerman
Scholarship Deadline: Jun. 29, 2023 | Abstract Deadline: Jun. 29, 2023 | Early Registration Deadline: Aug. 2, 2023
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of November 4, 2025 2 PM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Sunday, October 1, 2023
9:00–1:00 PM Arrival and Registration Grand Foyer
11:00–1:00 PM Welcome Mixer Grand Foyer
Monday, October 2, 2023
12:00–1:00 AM Breakfast Sea to Sky A
1:00–2:00 AM Welcoming Remarks and Keynote Session (Joint) Sea to Sky B/C
  * Tullia C. Bruno, University of Pittsburgh
Session Chair		  
  * Shane Crotty, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Session Chair		  
  * Michela Locci, University of Pennsylvania
Session Chair		  
  Pamela L. Schwartzberg, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Hyperactivated PI3Kd, in a Human Primary Immunodeficiency, Influences Tfh and Germinal Centers, Altering Self and Commensal Reactivity and Humoral Immunity		  
2:00–2:30 AM Coffee Break Grand Foyer
2:30–4:15 AM Tfh Differentiation Sea to Sky C
  * Michela Locci, University of Pennsylvania
Session Chair		  
  * Di Yu, University of Queensland
Session Chair		  
  Hongbo Chi, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Functional Genomics of Metabolic Control of Tfh Differentiation		  
  Di Yu, University of Queensland
Regulation of Tfh Cells by Ferroptosis		  
  Jennifer A. Juno, University of Melbourne
Biogenesis and Recall of CD4 and cTFH Responses to Viral Infection and Vaccination		  
  Youn Soo Choi, Seoul National University College of Medicine
Short Talk: Short Talk: Transcription Factor Mef2d Functions as a Critical Rheostat to Control SAP- and IL-21-Dependent Humoral Immunity		  
4:15–6:00 AM Poster Setup Sea to Sky A
4:15–10:00 AM On Own for Lunch
6:00–3:00 PM Poster Viewing Sea to Sky A
7:30–9:30 AM Workshop 1: Tfh and GC B Cell Biology Sea to Sky C
  * Andre Ballesteros Tato, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Session Chair		  
  * Joanna R. Groom, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Session Chair		  
  Jungseo Choi, Seoul National University
Air Pollutants Induce an IgE-promoting Follicular Helper T Cell Subset Independently of CD301b+ DCs		  
  Diana M Castaño, University of Pennsylvania and Universidad de Antioquia
IL-12 Drives the Differentiation of Human T Follicular Regulatory Cells		  
  Emily Siniscalco, Yale University
Layers of T Cell Redundancy in the Gut Enable Resilient Food-specific IgA Production		  
  Juhee Pae, Rockefeller University
Tracking Germinal Center B Cell Cycling in vivo		  
  Katlyn Lederer, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Early Stroma-driven Notch Signals are Required for T Follicular Helper Cell Differentiation and Germinal Center Responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines		  
  Dinis Pedro Calado, Francis Crick Institute
Regulation of BCR-mediated Ca2+ Mobilization by MIZ1-TIMBIM4 Safeguards IgG1+ GC B Cell Positive Selection		  
  Andrew Cox, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Follicular Helper T Cells Lacking KLF2 are no Longer Susceptible to Natural Killer Cell Immunoregulation		  
9:30–10:00 AM Coffee Available Grand Foyer
10:00–12:00 PM Germinal Center Biology Sea to Sky C
  * Amelia Escolano, Wistar Institute
Session Chair		  
  * Oliver Bannard, University of Oxford
Session Chair		  
  Gabriel D. Victora, Rockefeller University
Secondary Germinal Centers and Recall of Memory B Cells		  
  Tomohiro Kurosaki, Osaka University
Regulation of Plasma Cell Egress from Secondary Lymphoid Tissues and its Retention in Bone Marrow		  
  Oliver Bannard, University of Oxford
B Cell Selection in Germinal Centers		  
  Zhoujie Ding, Monash University
Short Talk: Short Talk: Intrinsically Determined Turnover Underlies Broad Heterogeneity in Plasma-cell Lifespan		  
  Andre Ballesteros Tato, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Short Talk: Short Talk: IFN-γ Production by Tfh Cells Control Lung Memory B Cell Responses to Influenza		  
12:00–1:00 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Sea to Sky A
12:30–3:00 PM Poster Session 1 Sea to Sky A
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
12:00–1:00 AM Breakfast Sea to Sky A
1:00–4:00 AM T and B Cell Interactions in Tissues and TLS (Joint) Sea to Sky B/C
  * Tullia C. Bruno, University of Pittsburgh
Session Chair		  
  * Shane Crotty, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Session Chair		  
  Ziv Shulman, Weizmann Institute
Unexpected Tumor-Reactive Antibodies		  
  Nikhil S. Joshi, Yale University School of Medicine
Neoantigen-Driven B Cell and CD4 T Follicular Helper Cell Collaboration Promotes Anti-Tumor CD8 T Cell		  
  Jennifer L. Gommerman, University of Toronto
Meningeal Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis – What are B Cells Doing?		  
  Shane Crotty, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
The Importance of Tfh and Germinal Centers in Regulating Immunodominance for Vaccines Against Challenging Targets		  
  Inta Gribonika, National Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Short Talk: Short Talk: Microbiota Induced Humoral Immunity is Driven by Autonomous Skin-intrinsic Germinal Centers		  
  Ian MacFawn, University of Pittsburgh
Short Talk: Short Talk: The Activity of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer is Governed by Site, Stroma, and Cellular Interactions		  
2:00–2:20 AM Coffee Break Grand Foyer
4:00–6:00 AM Poster Setup Sea to Sky A
4:00–10:00 AM On Own for Lunch
6:00–3:00 PM Poster Viewing Sea to Sky A
7:30–9:30 AM Career Roundtable (Joint)
  Tyler J. Curiel, Dartmouth College
Professor of Medicine		  
  Hong I. Wan, Tallac Therapeutics
President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder		  
  Dinis Pedro Calado, Francis Crick Institute
Senior Group Leader		  
  Myong-Hee Mia Sung, NIH
Earl Stadtman Investigator & Chief, Transcription Systems Dynamics and Biology Unit		  
9:30–10:00 AM Coffee Available Grand Foyer
10:00–12:00 PM T:B Interactions in Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Sea to Sky C
  * Robert Abbott, University of Texas Medical Branch
Session Chair		  
  * Lucy S. K. Walker, University College London
Session Chair		  
  Ali H. Ellebedy, Washington University School of Medicine
Germinal Center Responses to COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination in Humans		  
  Lucy S. K. Walker, University College London
The CTLA-4-IL-21 Axis in the Regulation of T Cell / B Cell Collaboration		  
  Michela Locci, University of Pennsylvania
Mechanisms of Germinal Center Induction by mRNA Vaccines		  
  Sydney Ramirez, LJI
Short Talk: Short Talk: Longitudinal Tracking of Upper Respiratory Tract Germinal Center Populations		  
  Nimesh Gupta, National Institute of Immunology
Short Talk: Short Talk: Distinct Features of a Peripheral T Helper Subset that Majorly Drives the B Cell Response in Dengue		  
12:00–1:00 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Sea to Sky A
12:30–3:00 PM Poster Session 2 Sea to Sky A
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
12:00–1:00 AM Breakfast Sea to Sky A
1:00–4:00 AM Regulation of T:B Interactions Sea to Sky C
  * Marion Pepper, University of Washington
Session Chair		  
  * Kai-Michael Toellner, University of Birmingham
Session Chair		  
  Steven F. Ziegler, Benaroya Research Institute
B Cell– and T Cell–intrinsic Regulation of Germinal Centers by Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin		  
  Marion Pepper, University of Washington
IL-4 Downregulates BCL6 to Promote Memory B Cell Selection in Germinal Centers		  
  Bo Liu, Tsinghua University
Short Talk: Short Talk: B Cell-reactive Triad of B Cells, Follicular Helper and Regulatory T Cells at Homeostasis		  
  Alexandra R Dvorscek, Monash University
Short Talk: Short Talk: T Cell-dependent B Cell Responses are Shaped by the Amount, Affinity and Specificity of Antigen-specific Antibody		  
  Kai-Michael Toellner, University of Birmingham
Short Talk: Short Talk: Recycling of Memory B Cells Between Germinal Center and Lymph Node Subcapsular Sinus Supports Affinity Maturation to Antigenic Drift		  
  Julia Eve Merkenschlager, Rockefeller University
Short Talk: Short Talk: Dynamic Regulation of T Follicular Cells throughout Time in the GC Space		  
  Carola G. Vinuesa, Francis Crick Institute
Remote Presentation: Novel Human TLR7 Mutations cause Human Lupus and Impact both Germinal Center B Cells and Helper T Cells		  
2:00–2:20 AM Coffee Break Grand Foyer
4:00–6:00 AM Poster Setup Sea to Sky A
4:00–10:00 AM On Own for Lunch
6:00–3:00 PM Poster Viewing Sea to Sky A
7:30–9:30 AM Workshop 2: T:B Interactions in Disease States Sea to Sky C
  * Jason G. Cyster, HHMI/University of California, San Francisco
Session Chair		  
  * Joshua F.E. Koenig, McMaster University
Session Chair		  
  Joshua F.E. Koenig, McMaster University
A Distinct Phenotype of Polarized Memory B Cell Holds IgE Memory		  
  Courtney McDougal, University of Washington
Plasmodium-specific Memory B Cells Generated in the Absence of Germinal Centers are Biased Towards High Avidity Epitopes and have Limited Ability to Self-renew		  
  Nathan Bracey, Stanford
The Dynamics of TCR Specificity Groups Between Secondary Lymphoid Organs and the Periphery Reveal Mechanisms of Age-associated Immune Dysfunction		  
  Jia Le Lee, Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus
B Cell-intrinsic Changes with Age do not Impair B Cell Responses to Immunisation		  
  Tiago Abreu Mota, University of Basel
Arenavirus Cross-reactive Memory B Cells Afford Protection against Lassa Virus Infection		  
  Jonathan A. Lagos Orellana, Seattle Children's Research Institute
Role of B Cell Adapter for PI-3 Kinase (BCAP) in Antigen Internalization and Processing		  
  Ragan A. Pitner, University of Washington
Blunting Specific T-dependent Antibody Responses by Exploiting Affinity Selection with Engineered 'Decoy' Exogenous B Cells		  
9:30–10:00 AM Coffee Available Grand Foyer
10:00–11:45 AM T:B Biology in Lungs, Gut, and Nonlymphoid Organs Sea to Sky C
  * Jennifer L. Gommerman, University of Toronto
Session Chair		  
  * Andrea Reboldi, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Session Chair		  
  Hai Qi, Tsinghua University
T-B Interactions and B-Cell Memory		  
  Troy D. Randall, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Establishment of Resident Memory B Cells in the Lung, and the Potential of Intranasal Vaccines		  
  Carla R. Nowosad, New York University
Germinal Center B Cell Dynamics in the Gut		  
  Andrea Reboldi, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Short Talk: Short Talk: Divergent Intracellular Nutrient Sensing Pathways Modulate Plasma Cell Function		  
11:45–12:30 PM Closing Keynote Address Sea to Sky C
  * Jennifer L. Gommerman, University of Toronto
Session Chair		  
  Jason G. Cyster, HHMI/University of California, San Francisco
Mast Cells Help Organize Peyer’s Patch Niche for Induction of IgA Responses		  
12:30–12:45 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) Sea to Sky C
12:45–1:30 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Sea to Sky A
12:45–3:00 PM Poster Session 3 Sea to Sky A
1:00–3:00 PM Cash Bar Sea to Sky A
Thursday, October 5, 2023
12:00–4:59 PM Departure