Microbiology and Immunology researchers present at Autoimmune Biomedical Collaborative Symposium

The inaugural Autoimmune Biomedical Collaborative (ABC) Symposium took place on June 22 and 23 at UBC. UBC’s ABC research cluster aims to forge connections across research, clinical practice, and patient needs to guide new interventions for autoimmune diseases. “A central goal of the ABC Symposium is to bring people together across autoimmune disease areas, disciplines, career stages, and lived experiences,” said Dr. Marc Horwitz, Lead of the ABC research cluster and a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. 

The symposium featured presentations on the latest research advances in autoimmunity, spanning immunological reset after immunotherapy, novel biomarkers, targeted therapies and mechanisms of action, and viral etiologies of autoimmune diseases. Faculty members and trainees from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology shared their autoimmunity research findings through both oral and poster presentations.  Associate faculty member Dr. Megan Levings discussed her research exploring chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing regulatory T cells to modulate immune activity. Tatiana Lau, a PhD candidate in the Tokuyama Lab, discussed her research on the immunological outcomes of CD19-targeting CAR T cells and their potential to serve as a therapeutic for systemic lupus erythematosus. Dr. Leah Hohman, a postdoctoral fellow in the Osborne Lab, discussed her research on how an aging gut microbiome and environment can serve as a driver of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis. And Erin Goldberg, a PhD candidate in the Horwitz Lab, discussed her research on how latent Epstein-Barr virus infection can promote inflammation and other disease features in microglia in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. 

The symposium also reached beyond the lab bench, incorporating conversations on how the autoimmunity research community can better integrate patient perspectives and health equity considerations into their work. Patient representatives discussed their personal experience living with an autoimmune disease, while clinical researchers shared the importance of including patient-reported outcomes in their studies. Dr. Ninan Abraham, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Department of Zoology, discussed how researchers can remain cognizant of social determinants of health, work to build trust in science and medicine among disadvantaged populations, and enhance accessibility to therapeutics. The symposium also featured working group sessions, where attendees broke out into small groups to discuss topics such as science communication and knowledge translation, ethics, consent, and data sharing, and building meaningful partnerships with patients. 

“We hope that the connections sparked at the symposium will continue to grow into lasting collaborations, shared projects, grant applications, publications, and new research networks,” said Dr. Horwitz. “It was inspiring to witness researchers, clinicians, trainees, patient partners, and community members sharing ideas not as separate silos, but as part of a larger flock moving together, allowing many perspectives to shape the path forward.”