Stromal Immunology in Health and Disease (K3)
February 2-5, 2026
| Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, AB, Canada
Anne Fletcher, Sanjiv A. Luther, Viviana Cremasco and Michael B. Brenner
Scholarship Deadline: Oct. 23, 2025 | Abstract Deadline: Jan. 13, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Dec. 4, 2025
| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
Van Horne Foyer |
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
President's Hall |
| 8:00–8:10 AM |
Welcome Remarks (Joint) |
Van Horne A/B |
| 8:10–9:00 AM |
Keynote Address (Joint) |
Van Horne A/B |
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* Anne Fletcher, Monash University
Session Chair |
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* Florian Rieder, Cleveland Clinic
Session Chair |
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Thomas A Wynn, Pfizer
Anti-Fibrotic Therapy: Thinking outside the TGF-beta box |
|
| 9:00–11:30 AM |
From Fibroblasts to Fibrosis, and Back Again (Joint) |
Van Horne A/B |
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* Yuval Rinkevich, Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing, China
Session Chair |
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* Tatiana Kisseleva, University of California, San Diego
Session Chair |
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Boris Hinz, St. Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto
Mechanically Induced Chromatin Remodelling Stabilizes Myofibroblast Activation Through Enhanced DNA Methylation |
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Sheila A. Stewart, Washington University School of Medicine
Stromal Reprogramming Sensitizes Metastatic Breast Cancer to Immunotherapy |
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Michael B. Brenner, Harvard Medical School
Identifying Pathways for Targeting Fibroblasts in Inflammatory and Fibrotic Diseases |
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Gisli Jenkins, Imperial College London
Short Talk: DEMISTIFIing Multi-Organ Fibrosis |
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| |
Angela Riedel, University of Würzburg
Short Talk: A TLR4-Dependent Fibroblast-Monocyte Axis in Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes Contributes to Metastasis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer |
|
| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 9:50–9:55 AM |
Award Recipient Acknowledgement |
Van Horne A/B |
| 11:30–11:35 AM |
Jessica Langer, Helmsley Trust Introduction |
Van Horne A/B |
| 11:35–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Van Horne C |
| 11:35–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Van Horne C |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1: Late Breaking News |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Beth A. Tamburini, University of Colorado Denver Anchutz Medical Campus
Session Chair |
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* Ari B Molofsky, University of California San Francisco
Session Chair |
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Jovana Cupovic, Uniklinik Freiburg/ Max Planck Institute for Immunology and Epigenetics
Mitochondrial Network Remodeling Governs Lymph Node Fibroblastic Stromal Cell Function to Enable Protective Immunity |
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Vineet Joag, SCRI, University of Washington
Primate Resident Memory T Cells Activate Humoral and Stromal Immunity |
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Alisa A Mueller, Stanford University
CRISPR-Cas9 Screen Uncovers Key Global Regulators of Fibroblast Inflammation |
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| |
Veronika Lukacs-Kornek, University of Bonn
Obesity-Induced Stromal Remodeling and Premature Fibroblast Aging in the Lung |
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Maria Tsoumakidou, BSRC Al. Fleming
Identity Loss and Trans-Differentiation of Interstitial Macrophages To Fibroblasts In Lung Tumors |
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Ramona Emig, University of Miami
CD4+ T cell-Derived Interferon-γ Instructs Extracellular Matrix Stiffening By Cardiac Fibroblasts Through LOXL3 |
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Qidi Yang, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Telocytes Orchestrate ECM Remodeling and Immune Cell Trafficking through LRP1-Dependent Regulation in IBD |
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Anil Bhushan, University of California, San Francisco
Stromal-Immune Circuits in Cancer and Autoimmunity |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Stromal Development, Identity and Heterogeneity |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Natalia Pikor, ETH Zurich / Kantonsspital St.Gallen
Session Chair |
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* Matthew Buechler, University of Toronto
Session Chair |
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Sanjiv A. Luther, University of Lausanne
Mechanisms of Fibroblast Specialization and Lymphoid Organ Compartmentalization |
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Sophie E Acton, University College London
Podoplanin-dependent regulation of fibroblast phenotype and immune crosstalk |
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Anne Fletcher, Monash University
Molecular Drivers of Fibroblast Differentiation and T Cell Suppression |
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Christopher G Mueller, CNRS-University of Strasbourg
Short Talk: Regulating B cell-associated Mesenchymal Cell Differentiation by a Phospholipid Metabolite |
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Mark Coles, University of Oxford
Short Talk: The Embryonic Origins of Site-Specific Arthritis: Role of Stromal Cell Stoichiometry |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
President's Hall |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
Van Horne C |
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
President's Hall |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Stromal Responses to Inflammation: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly |
Van Horne B |
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* Theresa T. Lu, Hospital for Special Surgery/Weill Cornell Medicine
Session Chair |
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* Adam P Croft, University of Birmingham
Session Chair |
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Ari B Molofsky, University of California San Francisco
Stromal – Immune Tissue Niches in Health and Disease |
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Natalia Pikor, ETH Zurich / Kantonsspital St.Gallen
Fibroblast - Immune Cell Crosstalk in the Inflamed CNS |
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Mariapia A Degli-Esposti, Monash University
Viral Targeting of Lymphoid Fibroblasts Yields Immunological Outcomes |
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Tatiana V Petrova, University of Lausanne
Mechanisms Driving Organ‑Specific Specialization of the Lymphatic Vasculature |
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Lina Daniel, The University of Sydney
Short Talk: Stromal–Immune Remodeling Establishes a Lymph Node Niche that Promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis Persistence |
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Mir Howlader, Hospital for Special Surgery
Short Talk: Lymphatic Dysfunction in Lupus Contributes to Cutaneous Photosensitivity and Lymph Node B Cell Responses |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Van Horne C |
| 11:00–1:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Van Horne C |
| 1:30–3:15 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2: New Paradigms in Stromal Biology and Crosstalk |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Marc Bajénoff, Centre d'Immunologie Marseille-Luminy
Sesion Chair |
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* Sophie E Acton, University College London
Session Chair |
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Naïma Böllenrücher, University of Lausanne
Notch2 Orchestrates Secondary Lymphoid Organ Organization By Directing Fibroblast Cell Fate |
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Ira Fleming, University of Colorado, Anschutz
mRNA, Protein, and Protein-Anchored-mRNA Vaccines Are Uniquely Distributed and Retained Across Lymph Node Stromal Cell Populations |
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Elham Karimizadeh, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
Contact with Endothelial Cells Drives Myofibroblast Activation of Pericytes |
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Erika E McCartney, University of Toronto
Tgfbr2 is an Essential Break on Pi16+ Fibroblast Hyperinflammation |
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Sam Kemble, University of Birmingham
Targeted Fibroblast Depletion Recalibrates the Inflammatory Microenvironment and Restores Tissue Homeostasis |
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Jeremiah Bernier-Latmani, University of Lausanne
Eosinophils Promote a Second Wave of Postnatal Smooth Muscle Differentiation in Intestinal Villi |
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Alec J Walker, Boston Children's Hospital
Early Life Stromal Niches Orchestrate B Lymphopoiesis at the Brain’s Borders |
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| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Career Roundtable (Joint) |
Van Horne B |
| |
Viviana Cremasco, Novartis Biomedical Research
Director |
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Alice Denton, Imperial College London
Associate Professor |
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Ilyssa Gordon, Cleveland Clinic
Professor of Pathology |
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Souradipta Ganguly, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Staff Scientist |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
The Pathogenic Tumor Microenvironment |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Viviana Cremasco, Novartis Biomedical Research
Session Chair |
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* Burkhard Ludewig, Kantonsspital St. Gallen
Session Chair |
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Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Weizmann Institute of Science
Hierarchy of Tumor Cell-Cell Signaling Interactions Dominated by Fibroblasts |
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Michael J Briskin, Phenomic.AI
AI/ML-Driven Identification of a Tumor-Selective Proteoglycan Enables Precision Targeting of Stromal-Rich Solid Tumors with T Cell Engagers |
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Fatima Mechta-Grigoriou, Institut Curie
Mapping Spatial Heterogeneity of Stroma In Breast Cancer |
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Elijah Kirschstein, The Ohio State University
Short Talk: Myofibroblast Programming Blocks Differentiation of TLS-Organizing Fibroblastic Reticular Cells in Pancreatic Cancer |
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Harry Horsnell, University of Melbourne
Short Talk: Local Invasion of Melanoma Metastasis into Lymph Nodes Drives Spatially Restricted Immunosuppressive Niches Underpinned by Distinct Fibroblastic Populations |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
President's Hall |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
Van Horne C |
Thursday, February 5, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
President's Hall |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Molecular Mechanisms of Stromal Programming and Reprogramming |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Tatiana V Petrova, University of Lausanne
Session Chair |
|
| |
* Mark Coles, University of Oxford
Session Chair |
|
| |
Beth A. Tamburini, University of Colorado Denver Anchutz Medical Campus
Lymph Node Stromal Cell Mechanisms of Immune Regulation |
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| |
Marc Bajénoff, Centre d'Immunologie Marseille-Luminy
Macrophage-Fibroblast Interaction Modules |
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Scott N Mueller, University of Melbourne
Stromal-neuroimmune axes shaping lymphoid tissue function |
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George A Kollias, Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming'
'Fibroblasts Transitioning from Homeostasis to Inflammation to Fibrosis |
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Apple C Vollmers, Genentech
Short Talk: Reciprocal Regulation Between Fibroblasts and Macrophages Maintains Skin Homeostasis and Integrity |
|
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Alice Denton, Imperial College London
Short Talk: TLR4-adjuvanted Vaccination Accelerates Germinal Centre Formation by Remodelling the Fibroblast Network |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 11:00–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 3: Stromal Commonalities Across Diseases |
Van Horne B |
| |
* Sanjiv A. Luther, University of Lausanne
Session Chair |
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* Mariapia A Degli-Esposti, Monash University
Session Chair |
|
| |
Melanie Smith, Hospital for Special Surgery
Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts Modulate T Cell Activation |
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| |
Tiphaine Camarasa, University of Basel
B Cell - Stromal Cell Interactions During Tuberculosis |
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Ricardo A Irizarry-Caro, Genentech
A Latency-Associated Protein Motif Decouples the Integrin-Dependent and Independent Activities of Latent TGF-β3 |
|
| |
Kellen Cavagnero, UC San Diego
Skin Barrier Penetration Triggers Distinct Immunologic Roles for Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes |
|
| |
Simge Yucel, EPFL
Elucidating the Roles of Stromal FMRP Expression in the Programming of CAFs to Support Immune Evasion |
|
| |
Grace L Wong, Houston Methodist Research Institute
Lymphatic Endothelial Cells and Fibroblastic Reticular Cell Subtypes in the Recruitment and Colonization of Cancer Cells to Lymph Node |
|
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Melodie Doute, St Jude Children's Research Hospital
Targeting EBF1-ITGβ8 Axis in Bone Marrow Stromal Cells During Myelofibrosis |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Van Horne Foyer |
| 5:00–6:45 PM |
Therapeutic Modulation of Stromal Cell Function (Joint) |
Van Horne A/B |
| |
* Marco Prunotto, Medicxi
Session Chair |
|
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* Michael B. Brenner, Harvard Medical School
Session Chair |
|
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Viviana Cremasco, Novartis Biomedical Research
TGFβ Neutralization and Tumor Stroma Modulation: From Bench to Bedside |
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| |
Yuval Rinkevich, Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing, China
Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Repair |
|
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Burkhard Ludewig, Kantonsspital St. Gallen
Immunomodulation of Myocardial Fibrosis |
|
| 6:45–7:00 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) (Joint) |
Van Horne A/B |
| |
* Sanjiv A. Luther, University of Lausanne
|
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* Florian Rieder, Cleveland Clinic
|
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
President's Hall |
| 8:00–9:00 PM |
Entertainment |
President's Hall |
| 8:00–9:00 PM |
Cash Bar |
President's Hall |
