The Golden Anniversary of B Cell Discovery (X6)
March 22-27, 2015  | Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, AB, Canada
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of June 10, 2026 2 AM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Sunday, March 22, 2015
4:00–8:00 PM Arrival and Registration Van Horne Foyer
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer Van Horne Foyer
Monday, March 23, 2015
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Mezzanine 2
8:00–9:30 AM Keynote Session (Joint) Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Patrick Wilson, Weill Cornell Medicine
Session Chair		  
  * Giuseppe Pantaleo, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
Session Chair		  
  Max D. Cooper, Emory University
Comparative Analysis of Alternative Adaptive Immune Systems		  
  Anthony S. Fauci, Georgetown University School of Medicine and McCourt School of Public Policy
Toward an HIV Vaccine: A Scientific Journey		  
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break Van Horne Foyer
9:50–11:45 AM Antibody Therapy (Joint) Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  Jeffrey V. Ravetch, Rockefeller University
Fc Effector Functions		  
  Gary J. Nabel, ModeX Therapeutics
The Challenges and Promise of Broadly Neutralizing Abs for HIV Prevention and Treatment		  
  Michel C. Nussenzweig, HHMI/Rockefeller University
Passive Immunization		  
11:45–1:00 PM Poster Setup Mezzanine 2
11:45–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Mezzanine 2
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 1: B1 Cell Biology Van Horne Ballroom A/B
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 2: B Cell Selection and Tolerance Theatre
  * Tom L. Rothstein, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine
Session Chair		  
  * Eric Meffre, Stanford University
Session Chair		  
  * David J. Rawlings, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute
Session Chair		  
  Lars Nitschke, University of Erlangen
Siglec-G: A B Cell Inhibitory Receptor Controlling Autoimmunity		  
  Cecilia B. Cavazzoni, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Characterization of the Repertoire of Natural Antibodies Anti-HSC70 		 
  Martin S. Naradikian, University of Pennsylvania
IL-4 and IL-21 Reciprocally Regulate T-BET Expression in Activated B Cells		  
  Gudrun F. Debes, Thomas Jefferson University
IL-10 Producing Innate-Like B Cells Are Part of the Skin Immune System and Require alpha4-beta1 Integrin to Migrate between the Peritoneum and Inflamed Skin		  
  Stephanie Glaesener, Hannover Medical School
Pneumovax23© Directly Stimulates B Cells in vivo Generating a Predominant IgA Response Early after Vaccination 		 
  Jean-Nicolas Schickel, Adimab, LLC
AID Expression in Human B Cell Precursors Is Essential for Central B-Cell Tolerance		  
  Masayuki Kuraoka, Duke University
BCR and TLR Synergy Elicits High Levels of AID Expression in Immature/T1 B Cells to Ensure Central B-Cell Tolerance		  
  Benchang Guo, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
RasGRP1 Shapes Autoreactive Receptor Repertoire in B1a Cells which Prevents Autoimmune Disease		  
  Matthias Hahn, University Medical Center Mainz
Over-Expression of an Alternative Splice Variant of the Negative NF-kappaB Regulator CYLD Leads to the Development of B-CLL in Mice		  
  Kristin M.S. Schroeder, National Jewish Health
B Cell Tolerance Mechanisms Limit Protective HIV Antibody Responses		  
  Thomas Hägglöf, Karolinska Institutet
Neutrophils License NKT Cells to Regulate Self-Reactive B Cell Responses		  
  Nichol E. Holodick, WMU Medical School
Age-Related Decline in Natural IgM Function: Diversification and Selection of the B-1a Cell Pool with Age 		 
  Rudolf Übelhart, National Center for Tumor Diseases
Structural Differences between IgD and IgM Control B Cell Responsiveness and the Activation of Innate-Like B1 Cells		  
  Christopher M. Tipton, Emory University
Diversity, Cellular Origin and Autoreactivity of Antibody-Secreting Cell Expansions in Acute Systemic Lupus Erythematosus		  
  Andre M. Vale, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Maintenance of B Cells with Hydrophobic CDR-H3 Intervals within the Peritoneal Cavity		  
  Aaron J. Marshall, University of Manitoba
TAPP Adaptors Control Akt-Dependent Metabolic Activation of B Cells and Suppress Autoimmunity via Binding to the SHIP Product PI(3,4)P2 		 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Van Horne Foyer
5:00–7:15 PM Peripheral B Cell Development and Function Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Michael P. Cancro, University of Pennsylvania
Short Talk: New Paths to Peripheral B Cell Tolerance and Differentiation		  
  Andrea Cerutti, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Marginal Zone B Cells		  
  Stuart G. Tangye, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Molecular Requirements for Productive Humoral Immunity in Humans - The Power of PIDs		  
  Michael G. McHeyzer-Williams, The Scripps Research Institute
Molecular Dynamics of Memory B Cell Responses		  
  Claude-Agnès Reynaud, Necker-Paris Medical School
Short Talk: Short Talk: High Throughput Ig Sequencing of Paired Blood and Spleen Samples Allows a Redefinition of IgM Memory Subsets in Humans		  
7:15–8:15 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Mezzanine 2
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 1 Mezzanine 2
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Mezzanine 2
8:00–11:00 AM B/T Cell Interactions (Joint) Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Jason G Cyster, HHMI/University of California, San Francisco
B Cell Guidance Cues and the Antibody Response		  
  * Shane Crotty, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
T Cell Help to B Cells: Follicular Helper CD4 T Cell (Tfh) Biology		  
  Giuseppe Pantaleo, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
T Follicular Helper (Tfh) Cells in Health and Chronic HIV Infection 		 
  Claudia Cicala, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Short Talk: Short Talk: Targeting alpha4beta7 Integrin Reduces Mucosal Transmission and Dissemination of SIV		  
  Gabriel D Victora, Rockefeller University/HHMI
Short Talk: Short Talk: Clonal Dynamics and Evolution in Germinal Centers		  
  David J. Rawlings, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute
Short Talk: Short Talk: Distinct Impact of B Cell-Intrinsic Type 1 vs Type 2 Interferon Signals in GC B Cell Tolerance		  
9:20–9:40 AM Coffee Break Van Horne Foyer
11:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup Mezzanine 2
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Mezzanine 2
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 3: Vaccines and Immunity Van Horne Ballroom A/B
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 4: B Cell Development and Signaling Theatre
  * Bonnie B. Blomberg, University of Miami School of Medicine
Session Chair		  
  Paul V. Thomas, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Structural Definition of a Novel Set of Converged Broadly Neutralizing Influenza Antibodies Elicited in H5N1 Vaccinees		  
  Julia Jellusova, University of Freiburg
GSK3 Regulates B Cell Metabolism, Cell Growth and Proliferation		  
  Nikita S. Kolhatkar, University of Washington
The Role of Altered Antigen Receptor Signaling in Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome		  
  Goetz R. Ehrhardt, University of Toronto
Biomarker Discovery on Memory B Cells and Plasma Cells Using Monoclonal VLR Antibodies		  
  Carole Henry, University of Chicago
Pre-Existing Human Antibodies Neutralize the Novel Influenza H7N9 Strain		  
  Ai Kotani, Tokai University
A Single miRNA Substitutes for Requirement of EBF1 in B Lineage Commitment		  
  Mattias Forsell, Umeå University
Activation of Circulating Platelets Leads to the Release of Potent Antiviral IgG		  
  Jinmin Lee, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Defining the Oligomeric State on B Cell Receptors on the Surfaces of Human Naïve and Memory B Cells Using Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy		  
  Hana Golding, US Food and Drug Administration
Exploring Antibody Repertoires and Affinity Maturation Against Pandemic Influenza Vaccines: Impact of Adjuvants and Prime-Boost Approaches 		 
  Stephen K. H. Li, Western University
Identification of a Negative Regulatory Role for the E26 Transformation-Specific Transcription Factor Spi-C in the Murine B Cell Lineage		  
  Gregory C. Ippolito, University of Texas at Austin
New Molecular and Proteomic Techniques for the 'Deep' Profiling of Vaccine-Elicited Cellular and Serological Antibody Repertoires		  
  Hongsheng Wang, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
An Essential Role of Transcription Factors PU.1 and IRF8 in Follicular B Cell Development and the Germinal Center Response		  
  * Duane R Wesemann, Harvard Medical School
Role of Environment in the Shaping of the Primary Immunoglobulin Repertoire		  
  Greg A. Kirchenbaum, Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida
Longitudinal Profiling of Young and Elderly Individuals in Response to Seasonal Influenza Vaccination		  
  Maryaline Coffre, New York University School of Medicine
Dicer-Dependent Non-Coding RNAs Are Essential for B Cell Development and Maturation		  
  Ignacio Sanz, Emory University, School of Medicine
Identification of Long-lived Plasma Cells in Human Bone Marrow		  
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Van Horne Foyer
5:00–7:15 PM Memory and Plasma Cell Differentiation and Fate Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Andreas Radbruch, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum
Session Chair		  
  Patrick Wilson, Weill Cornell Medicine
Immune Memory Shapes B Cell Responses to Influenza		  
  David M. Allman, University of Pennsylvania
Plasma Cell Subpopulations in the Bone Marrow 		 
  Mark J. Shlomchik, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Signaling and Selection in GC B Cells		  
  Kim Good-Jacobson, Monash University
Short Talk: Short Talk: c-Myb Establishes a Transcriptional Network in Germinal Center B Cells that Controls T-bet, Class Selection and Long-Term Immunity		  
7:15–8:15 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Mezzanine 2
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 2 Mezzanine 2
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Mezzanine 2
8:00–11:15 AM Anti-Viral B Cell Responses (Joint) Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  Barton F. Haynes, Duke University Medical Center
Ontogenicity of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies during HIV-1 Infection		  
  John R. Mascola, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Antibody Responses to HIV		  
  * Leonidas Stamatatos, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Characterization of Recombinant HIV-1 Envelopes that Bind Germline Forms of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies 		 
  Ian A Wilson, The Scripps Research Institute
Broad Neutralization of Influenza Viruses 		 
  Pia Dosenovic, Karolinska Institutet
Short Talk: Short Talk: Development of HIV-1 Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies in Human Variable Region Knock-In Mice		  
  Scott D. Boyd, Stanford University
Short Talk: Short Talk: Storage and Recall of Anti-Influenza Antibodies in Younger and Older Adults		  
9:20–9:40 AM Coffee Break Van Horne Foyer
11:15–12:15 PM Meet the Editors Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Catarina Sacristán, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Session Chair		  
  Alison Farrell, Springer Nature
Short Talk		  
  Fabiola V Rivas, Immunity
Short Talk		  
  Liz Thompson, Immunity, Cell Press
Short Talk		  
  Sri Devi Narasimhan, Cell Press
Short Talk		  
  Gabriel A. Gasque, PLOS Biology
Short Talk		  
  Kristen L. Mueller, Science Magazine
Short Talk		  
11:15–1:00 PM Poster Setup Mezzanine 2
11:15–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Mezzanine 2
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 5: Affinity Maturation and Class Switch Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Kim Good-Jacobson, Monash University
Session Chair		  
  * Garnett H. Kelsoe, Duke University and Medical Center
Session Chair		  
  Alexander D. Gitlin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Clonal Selection in the Germinal Center by Regulated Proliferation and Hypermutation		  
  Stephen P. Methot, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal
Consecutive Interactions with HSP90 and eEF1A1 Underlie a Functional Maturation and Storage Pathway of AID in the Cytoplasm		  
  Heping Xu, Westlake University
Regulation of Bifurcating B Cell Responses by IRF4 and IRF8-Mediated Reciprocal Feedback		  
  Zhiyong Yang, University of California, San Francisco
Plasma Cell Differentiation Driven by Antigen-Independent Signaling Activity of the IgE B Cell Receptor		  
  Rushad Pavri, Institute for Molecular Pathology
The Role of the Mcm Complex in Class Switch Recombination		  
  Jennifer L. Yates, New York State Department of Health
Innate iNKT Cells Provide T-Dependent Type 2 Help for B Cells: Expanding the Helper Paradigm		  
  jing H. wang, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The Imbalanced Signaling between PTEN and Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Impairs Class Switch Recombination		  
  Nobuo Sakaguchi, Kumamoto University
Regulation of Selective Non-Coding RNA Species Involved in B-Cell Maturation by AID-Interacting Molecule GANP 		 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Van Horne Foyer
5:00–7:30 PM Antibody Maturation and Class Switch Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Tasuku Honjo, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine
Molecular Mechanism of AID-Mediated SHM and SCR		  
  Frederick W. Alt, Boston Children's Hospital
Mechanisms that Direct Specificity and Outcome of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID) Activity		  
  Rafael Casellas, NIAMS-NCI, National Institutes of Health
AID Targeting		  
  Patricia J. Gearhart, NIA, National Institutes of Health
Short Talk: Short Talk: DNA Polymerases Iota and Zeta Standoff during Antibody Hypermutation		  
  Uttiya Basu, Columbia University
Short Talk: Short Talk: In B Cells, High-Throughput Proteomic Screen Identifies Co-Factors for RNA Exosome that Facilitates AID Access to Both Strands of Transcribed DNA 		 
  Kevin M McBride, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Cancer
Short Talk: Short Talk: Uracil DNA Glycosylase of Gammaherpesvirus Alters B Cell Class Switch Recombination		  
7:15–8:15 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Mezzanine 2
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 3 Mezzanine 2
Thursday, March 26, 2015
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Mezzanine 2
8:00–11:30 AM B Cell Immune Deficiencies Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Anne Durandy, Institut Imagine
Immunoglobulin Class Switch Recombination Deficiencies: An Update		  
  Klaus Warnatz, University Clinic Freiburg
NF-kappaB in B Cell Differentiation - From an Immunodeficient Standpoint		  
  Mary Ellen Conley, Rockefeller University
Defects in Early B Cell Development		  
  Lennart Hammarström, Karolinska Institute
Defects in Late B Cell Development - Lessons from WES and WGS		  
  Jacob M. Rosenberg, Harvard University
Short Talk: Short Talk: The Landscape and Function of Anti-Cytokine Autoantibodies in Health and Primary Immunodeficiency		  
  Fabienne Mackay, Monash University
Short Talk: Short Talk: The TACI Receptor Regulates T-Independent Marginal Zone B Cell Responses through Innate Activation-Induced Cell Death		  
  Jayanta Chaudhuri, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Short Talk: Short Talk: Non-Coding RNA Generated following Lariat Debranching Mediates Targeting of AID to DNA		  
9:20–9:40 AM Coffee Break Van Horne Foyer
11:15–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 6: System Immunology and Modeling Theatre
2:30–4:30 PM Workshop 7: B Cell Related Diseases Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Sarah Cobey, University of Chicago
Session Chair		  
  * Ignacio Sanz, Emory University, School of Medicine
Session Chair		  
  * Fabienne Mackay, Monash University
Session Chair		  
  * Uri Hershberg, Drexel University
Session Chair		  
  Brandon J DeKosky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Paired VH:VL Analysis of Naïve B-Cell Repertoires and Comparison to Antigen-Experienced B-Cell Repertoires in Healthy Human Donors		  
  John H. Kehrl, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
B Lymphocyte Specific Loss of Ric-8A Causes a Galpha Protein Deficit and Severe Humoral Immunodeficiency		  
  Thomas B. Kepler, Boston University
B Cell Clonal Dynamics during Sequential Immunizations		  
  Cindy Eunhee Lee, Australian National University
Autosomal Dominant B Cell Deficiency with Alopecia Due to a Mutation in NF-kappaB2 that Results in Unprocessable p100		  
  Frederick A. Matsen IV, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Quantifying Evolutionary Constraints on B Cell Affinity Maturation		  
  Nadine Hövelmeyer, University of Mainz
The Transcription Factor Bcl-3 Regulates the Development of Marginal Zone, Germinal Center and B1 B Cells		  
  Lauren M. Childs, Virginia Tech
Affinity Maturation of B Cells in the Presence of Competing Antigens		  
  Wanli Liu, Tsinghua University
Membrane Sequestration of the mIgG Cytoplasmic Tail Confers a Safety Trigger Mechanism for the Enhanced Activation of IgG-Memory B Cell		  
  Jürgen Wienands, Georg August University of Goettingen
Absence of CIN85 Expression Presents with X-Chromosome-Linked Antibody Deficiency in Humans		  
  Jason Anthony Vander Heiden, Genetech, Inc.
High-Throughput Immunoglobulin Sequencing Informatics: Insights into B Cell Trafficking Patterns in Multiple Sclerosis		  
  Gregory W. Schwartz, University of Pennsylvania
Conserved Amino Acid Diversity in B Cell Repertoires Connects between Selection at the Germline and Somatic Levels		  
  Lynnea Rae Waters, University of California, Los Angeles
T Follicular Helper Cell Differentiation Is Blocked by Lkb1 Inhibition of NF-kappaB in B Cells		  
  Thomas MacCarthy, Stony Brook University
The Number of Overlapping AID Hotspots within Germline Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain V-Regions Is Inversely Correlated with Mutation Frequency in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia		  
  Wei Cao, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Humoral Autoimmunity Is Promoted by Type I Interferon-Induced Interferon gamma but Restricted by ROS-Producing Neutrophils		  
  Rajagopal Murugan, German Cancer Research Institute
High Throughput Analysis of B Cell Clonal Expansion and Antibody Selection to Controlled Plasmodium falciparum Infection		  
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Van Horne Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM B Cell Autoimmunity Van Horne Ballroom A/B
  * Martin G. Weigert, University of Chicago
Session Chair		  
  Ann Marshak-Rothstein, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Endosomal and Cytosolic Nucleic Acid Sensors in Autoimmunity 		 
  Hedda Wardemann, German Cancer Research Center
Single Cell-Based High-Throughput Analysis of Human B Cell Antibody Responses		  
  Michael C. Carroll, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Follicular Dendritic Cells Are Essential for Maintenance of Autoreactive B Cells 		 
  Haochu Huang, Genentech, Inc.
Short Talk: Short Talk: Spontaneous B Cell Class Switching in the Thymus and Tolerance		  
7:00–7:15 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers)
7:15–8:15 PM Social Hour with Lite Bites Mezzanine 2
8:00–11:00 PM Entertainment Mezzanine 2
8:00–11:00 PM Cash Bar Mezzanine 2
Friday, March 27, 2015
11:00–11:00 AM Departure