Europe
Croatia
The Croatian Immunological Society has undertaken following actions regarding this year's Day of Immunology:
1. In order to popularize Immunology in Croatia, our Society organized on April 21, 2008 a radio talk-show dedicated to Immunology. This particular show usually covers various topics in medicine and is provided through 48 different radio stations. It was the good opportunity not only to introduce the DOI and Croatian Immunological society, but also to speak popular about various important aspect of immunology. For this reason in addition to two representatives of the Society present in studio ( Prof. Sabina Rabatic and Prof. Drago Batinić) several well known Croatian scientist were interviewed by phone. They explained the basic current knowledge on infection immunity (Prof. Stipan Jonjić), autoimmunity (Prof. Branko Malenica) allergy (Dr. Alenka Gagro) and psihoneuroimmunology (Academician Dragan Dekaris).
2. At the Zagreb University School of Medicine, DoI will be announced at our main internet page (http://cms.mef.hr/) with the link to student pages, where we will put the larger text containing main messages related to the role and importance of immunology in every day life as well as in biomedicine, proposed by EFIS and IUIS (http://cms.mef.hr/studmef/beta/culi-smo/culi-smo-da/obiljezavanje-medunarodnog-dana-imunologije.html). Also, part of the lecture within the undergraduate Immunology course (at the second year of the Medical School) close to DoI will be dedicated to explain students the global importance of immunology and the major goals of immunology in medicine.
3. On our Web page a special article regarding this year's „Global DoI“ is introduced.
Czech Republic
The following events will be taken as a celebration of the Day of Immunology 2008 by Czech Immunology Society:
a) lecture by Prof. Vaclav Horejsi, March 13 for the Charles University in Pilsen :How the immune system works (and sometimes does not work…)
b) lecture by Prof. Vaclav Horejsi, April 7 organized by Czech Learned Society for public: How the immune system works (and sometimes does not work
c) International Workshop on Biomedical Research on the occasion of the celebration of the Day of Immunology 2008, Valtice, Czech Republic, 28th April – 1st May 2008
d) Institute of Microbiology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and 1st and 2nd School of Medicine Charles University in Prague will organize on May 13 the whole day colloquium on Immunology as a celebration of the DoI 2008. PhD students and post-docs are supposed to act as speakers and Prof. Mestecky (University of Birmingham, Alabama) will present a lecture: Immunity in genital tract and its relationship to HIV infection.
e) all regular seminars (organized every week by the Department of Immunology and Gnotobiology of the Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i.) and lectures on Basic and Clinical Immunology presented to undergraduate students (Faculty of Natural Sciences, 1st and 2nd School of Medicine) during March, April and May will be open with a short explanation of DoI 2008.
f) 10th Motol Days, April 3-4, 2008 (Prague, Czech Republic) organized by The Second Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, the DOI 2008 was mentioned and celebrated. The first day of the symposium was devoted to the biological therapy, immunotherapy and anti-cancer vaccination.
g) an article was written by Prof. Helena Tlaskalová: Střevní imunitní systém a komensální bakterie (Gut immune system and comensal bacteria) and published in Medical Tribune IV/11/A5, April 14, 2008 with the announcement that the article was written at the occasion of DOI 2008.
Finland
http://www.autoimmune2008.org/
Germany
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immunologie
This year´s motto: "Immunological diseases of the gut"
Erlanger Graduiertenkolleg - Lymphozyten
Wir sind die Guten - Das Immunsystem - Die Schutzpolizei des Körpers
VHS Kaltenkirchen
29.4.2008 Vortrag: Organ-Transplantation
Die Organspende, oder auch
Transplantation genannt, ist eine Möglichkeit Menschen mit kranken
Organen ein längeres Leben unter besseren Lebensbedingungen zu
ermöglichen. Man unterscheidet dabei die Lebendspende zum Beispiel
einer Niere an einen nahen Verwandten oder die Spende eines Organs z.
B. nach einem Unfalltod. Die ist seit 1954 durch die erste
Nieren-Transplantation möglich und wurde im Jahr 2006 insgesamt
4600-mal in Deutschland durchgeführt.
Der Vortrag will auch den interessierten Laien verständlich informieren, wie eine Organspende durchgeführt wird, worin die größten Probleme bestehen und wie jeder von uns helfen kann.
Charité Berlin
Benjamin-Franklin-Universitätskrankenhaus der Charité
Die Schlüsselfunktion des Immunsystems bei der Entstehung und der Therapie von Darm- und Lebererkrankungen
MHH - Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Greece
The message for the "Day of Immunology 2008" is:
"Potent immune system for good health and better quality of life !!!
Upcoming events of the Hellenic Society of Immunology (HELSIM) for the celebration of the Day of Immunology, April 29, 2008.
1. Information of the general public about the science of Immunology and its role. An
informative spot will be broadcasted on television and radio networks and reference of
the event will be made by the press (newspapers). Press conferences will be held by
members of the HELSIM Board in the city of Athens and Thessaloniki.
2. Two separate events will take place in primary and secondary state schools in Athens
and Thessaloniki which will be both informative and creative:
a. The adolescences will have the opportunity to learn about the role of the immune system
in maintaning health status and disease protection. They will be encouraged to develop
their ideas in writing a composition.
b. The children will learn about the structure of the immune system and will be prompted
to create through painting.
Hellenic DOI 2008 TV Spot (WMV 3MB)
Hungary
In the framework of the Day of Immunology 2008 the Hungarian Society of Immunology organized (like the previous years) a series of lectures specially for high-school and undergraduate students. The lectures will be held in the historical building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS). The HAS supported the DoI 2008 activity by the free accommodation of the lecture hall for >500 participants.
Ireland
ISI Public Lecture & Award, May 15th, 2008:
The Irish Society for Immunology (ISI) is committed to promoting the public understanding of immunology in Ireland. Each year this society makes an award to an outstanding Irish immunologist in recognition of their major contribution to the understanding of Immunology and health improvement. Thus, a major component of the award ceremony is a public lecture by the awardee on his or her work and how it pertains to health.
The ISI are pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the award is Cliona O’ Farrelly, Professor of Comparative Immunology, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Professor O’ Farrelly will deliver an ISI/Irish Times/Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Science Today lecture entitled: "Bugs or Us: Immunity and the Battle for Survival"
in The Merrion Room, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, on Thursday, 15th May 2008, from 7.30-8.30pm.
Professor O’ Farrelly leads an outstanding research group which has established a large network of collaborating scientists in academia and industry, both in Ireland and abroad who have a common interest in comparing how host immune genes respond to pathogens like Hepatitis C virus, Salmonella and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
This year’s public lecture by Professor O’ Farrelly will mark the ISI’s contribution to the “Day of Immunology” which will be hosted on April 29th, 2008. This event has been organized by The European Federation of Immunological Societies in an effort to promote the public awareness of immunology globally.
ISI Schools Talks, April 18th, 2008.
The ISI has also organised a series of Schools Talks, in association with the RDS, as part of their contribution to the global “Day of Immunology.” These talks are aimed at second level students and hope to stimulate both an interest in and understanding of immunology in these students.
Talks entitled: “Weapons of mass destruction – how the body seeks and destroys invaders” will be held on Friday, 18th April 2008, from 10.00am to 1.00pm in
The Concert Hall, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Aideen Long, President, ISI. aideen.long@tcd.ie
Dr Michelle Armstrong, Secretary, ISI. michelle.armstrong@ucd.ie
Italy
Also this year, the "SIICA-Campania" group has organized an event in Naples, to celebrate the Day of Immunology: a Workshop on Primary Immunodeficiencies will be held in a beautiful historical building, belonging to the University.
The Workshop (see the programme in the attached file) will be structured around four main lectures on topics related to Primary Immunodeficiency, and it will include short presentations by young scientists working in Campania. A note on the event, emphasizing the role of Immunology and the importance of this celebration, will be diffused to the Italian press.
Lithuania
The Lithuanian Society for Immunology will celebrate the DoI 2008 by organizing our EFIS meeting on 24th of April in the premises of the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine. (Zygimantu str. 3, Vilnius). The topic of the meeting is "Immunology of Tuberculosis". The conference was opened by LID President Prof. V. Tamosiunas. The reports on tuberculosis were made by Lithuanian specialists (epidemiology, diagnostics, pathogeny and prevention) and foreign guests. Dr. Christian Stoeckigt (Cellestis GmbH, Germany), Dr. Radvile Malickaite (Vilnius University, Lithuania), Dr. Algirdas Griskevicius (AIDS Centre, Lithuania) and Dr. E. Davidaviciene (Lithuania) .
The DoI was also announced during the conference "Laboratory medicine: classical and modern" that was organised by the Division of Biological, Medicine and Geosciences of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and Vilnius University and held in Vilnius, April 25, 2008.
Norway
The Norwegian Society of Immunology´s
(NSI) arrangement for The Day of Immunology
2008 takes place in in Oslo. We have chosen the following theme for the day:
“Autoimmunity and Allergy – When the Immune system scores an own
goal”
Wednesday April 23. from 11.30 – 15:00, we are organizing a
popular scientific congress where renowned medical doctors and professors
will talk about the immune system in connection with celiac disease,
multiple sclerosis, arthritis, type 1 diabetes, asthma etc. The venue is
the honorable “Gamle Festsal” at the University of Oslo, downtown Oslo,
address: Karls Johans gate 47.
For more information, please visit http://www.norwegianimmunology.org
Portugal
1. A Press-release explaining the idea of the Day of Immunology and Immunology
will be launched on the 29th of April to newspapers.
2. The 8th grade of several High Schools (Lissabon, Porto and Coimbra) will be invited to compile a disease relevant topic of Immunology. Thereafter in the middle of May, all participants will be invited to a get-together. There every grade will give a talk about their topic. Members of the SPI will visit the participating classes to help them with the compilation.
3. If the program will be successful, then next year other age groups and localities will be included.
Romania
During April month several scientific meetings and courses took place under the auspices of DOI 2008 in Romania. The most important which brought together scientists and medical doctors, Ph.D students and even undergraduate students were the following:
1) “The IVth Annual Course of Fundamental Immunology”, organized by the Romanian Society of Immunology
Date:7-11 April 2008, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Place: National Institute of Research and Development for Microbiology and Immunology "Dr. I. Cantacuzino"
Number of participants: 19 lecturers, 50 participants (medical doctors, biologists, biochemists, chemists, Ph.D students).
The lecturers were scientists, clinicians from several research institutes or universitary hospitals from Bucharest or professors from the Universities of Medicine, Immunology Dept., from Bucharest, Jassy, Cluj and Timisoara. The immunology course consisted in 20 oral presentations, ended by a short written exam.
The program included oral presentations of 1-2 hours:
- Immune sytem: generalities, organization.
- Immunity (natural and acquired)
- Antigens and immunoglobulins
- Lymphocyte B, T and NK cells
- Complement system
- Cytokines
- MHC system
- Macrophages and dendritic cells
- Role of PMN in inflammation
- Humoral and cellular immune response
- Regulation of the immune response
- Hipersensibility reactions
- Immunotherapy
- Anti-infectious immunity
- Anti-tumor immunity
- Immunology of transplantation
- Autoimmunity
- Techniques in immunology I: LUMINEX. System.
- Techniques in immunology II: Flow cytometry.
2) Young PhD Students Scientific Session
Date: 23rd of April
Place: Center of Immunology, Institute of Virology “Stefan S, Nicolau” of the Romanian Academy
Participants: 35 junior and senior researchers, 8 Ph.D students, 4 undergraduate students
The program included oral presentations (1 hour each) followed by discussions:
1) “Endogen peptides with an immunological role” (lecturer: Dorian Albisor, PhD student).
2) “Experimental model for beta-pancreatic cells allo-transplantation as a possible therapeutical way in type 1 diabetis” (lecturer: Daniela Lixandru, PhD student)
3) “Cell adhesion molecules in cancer” (lecturer: Camelia Ionesti, PhD student)
4) “Malignant hemopathies” (lecturer : Claudia Maglas, PhD student )
Dr. Lorelei Brasoveanu
Romanian Society of Immunology
Secretary for International Relations
Serbia
On the occasion of the Day of Immunology 2008, Immunological Society of Serbia has been involved in the following activities:
The scientific meeting entitled “Day of Immunology 2008: Hot spots of research activities in Serbia" was held at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), April 22, 2008. The meeting was organized by the Committee on Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medical Sciences, SASA and Immunological Society of Serbia.
Other activities will cover the following:
Leaflet on popular immunology with the aim to advertise the importance of the research in the field among young population in Serbia, will be spread to high school students in Belgrade during May (this is approved by Serbian Ministry of Education, Republic of Serbia).
A short announcement for the news papers and other media has been prepared and delivered in several occasions, too.
Slovak Republic
We prepared the article to Journal for Health service „Zdravotnicke noviny“ in Slovak language. Also in our journal „Rheumatologia“ will we publish our article. Also for patients we have the journal „Bulletin Ligue Against Rheumatism“. This journal will publish this article – information about Day of Immunology in Slovakia.
Sweden
In Sweden we have set the goal to get high school students more interested in and inspired by immunology. This will be done by discussing what happens with the immune system during and after a "common" trauma, a cut in the skin, illustrated by a fictive patient case. The thought behind this is that everyone should recognize a self-experienced situation where the immune system got activated in a similar way.
To reach out nationwide, we have established a network of immunologists at all major universities. These local representatives will distribute the discussion material to local members that want to participate and visit the high schools in their city.
Turkey
The Turkish Society of Immunology was very active during the Day of Immunology 2008.
In Istanbul, a seminar series was held at different hospitals, conference centers and universities between April 6th and April 28th. Besides these scientific meetings, the organizers succeeded to draw public attention to immunological issues by a high profile in various media (TV, radio, and newspapers).
In Edirne, a poster exhibition at the central library was realized between April 28 - May 5th. The celebrations were opened by a public meeting on April 28. Edirne's activities underline the educational power of the Day of Immunology: School seminars were held and the local TV channel informed the public at prime time.
Immunology was made suitable for children in Afyon and brought to them in school seminars between April 29 - April 30.
Click here for the complete Report of DOI 2008 in Turkey
United Kingdom
British Society for Immunology
Immunity in the Dock: A Debate
This year the British Society for Immunology has created a debate format in which the immune system is cast both as "hero" and "villain". The 'heroic' role of the immune system in combating infection and cancer needs no introduction, however in also focusing on immune dysfunction - such as with allergies, asthma and immunodeficiency - the format allows the audience to weigh-up the pros and cons of immunity, and the challenges facing researchers. The debate is supported with a powerpoint presentation, with eye-catching illustrations and information that builds upon our guide to the immune system created last year.
Volunteers from the BSI membership are to present the debate to senior school children across the UK on, and around, the 29 April. We are also producing a guide to Immunology courses at University level that will be distributed at the various national venues to increase students' awareness of study options.
