This meeting will feature talks from clinical and academic immunologists based in the Midlands, with networking opportunities to encourage and foster collaborations. Our goal is to celebrate the unique opportunities available in the Midlands region for forming productive partnerships to help translate basic immunology into the clinic.
The event is hosted by the BSI Midlands Immunology Group as its annual symposium and will take place at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, 53 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2RS.
Please follow us on Bluesky, @bsicongress and @BSI_Midlands and check the event hashtag #BSIMidlands25 for updates.
Programme
09:00 | Registration & tea/coffee
09:45| Opening remarks - Dr Rebecca Drummond (University of Birmingham, UK)
Session 1 - Clinical immunology in the Midlands: History and capabilities
Chairs: Dr Emma Jennings (University of Warwick, UK) and Dr Sian Faustini (University of Birmingham, UK)
09:50 | Invited speaker: Dr Aarnoud Huissoon (Heartlands Hospital, UK)
Birmingham: The germinal centre of UK immunology
10.10 | Invited speaker: Professor Alex Richter (University of Birmingham, UK)
Testing times – Developing diagnostics to meet contemporary healthcare challenges
10.40 | Invited speaker: Dr Tom Wilding (Heartlands Hospital, UK)
SCID screening and the unknowns: A case for collaboration
11.10 | Sponsor talk: Dr Peter Djali (Pixelgen Technologies, UK)
Using single-cell protein interactomics to understand immune cell behavior from
research to clinic
11:20 | Refreshment break
Session 2 - Dissecting immunological mechanisms using novel models
Chairs: Rute Santos (University of Nottingham, UK) & Dr Scott Davies (University of Birmingham, UK)
11:50 | Invited speaker: Dr Sarah Dimeloe (University of Birmingham, UK)
Interrogating immune-metabolic dysregulation across the spectrum from autoimmunity to cancer
12:20 | Selected abstract: Dr Zania Stamataki (University of Birmingham, UK)
Harnessing enclysis to control Treg cell frequencies in the liver tumour microenvironment
12:30 | Selected abstract: Gage Millen (University of Leicester, UK)
Investigating functional abilities of exhausted and senescent T cells in DLBCL
12:40 | Invited speaker: Dr John James (University of Warwick, UK)
Elucidating T cell signalling dynamics using optogenetics
13.10 | Sponsor talk: Dr Mark Beswick (BD Biosciences, UK)
Real discovery from bench to bedside with BD Biosciences
13:20 | Lunch, posters and exhibition
Session 3 - Leveraging unique patient populations to learn fundamental immunology
Chairs: Dr Jehan El-Jawhari (Nottingham Trent University, UK) & Dr Adam Wright (University of Leicester, UK)
14:40 | Invited speaker: Professor Grant Stewart (University of Birmingham, UK)
ACTIN on a hunch when it comes to diagnosing inherited immunodeficiency syndromes
15:10 | Selected abstract: Dr Jonathon Armstrong (University of St Andrews, UK)
Intrinsic folding properties of the HLA-B27 heavy chain revealed by single chain trimer versions of
peptide-loaded class I major histocompatibility complex molecules
15:20 | Selected abstract: Joseph Johnson (University of Birmingham, UK)
Analysing publicly available datasets to understand macrophage transcriptome reprogramming
during M.tb infection
15:30 | Invited speaker: Professor Martin Dyer (University of Leicester, UK)
Solving cancer
16:00 | Closing remarks and poster prizes - Professor Lucy Fairclough (University of Nottingham, UK)
16:10 | Networking reception
17:00 | Close
Registration
Registration is open, book your place here.
BSI members benefit from reduced registration fees at this meeting and other BSI events, as well as free access to our journals, grants, career development activities and much more. You can sign up to become a member online. For current BSI members, your reduced fee will be applied automatically if you are logged in to your account. All fees include VAT.
| BSI member | Non-member | |
|---|---|---|
| Full | £36 | £75 |
| Early Career/Clinician in training (read the criteria) | £36 | £75 |
| Postgraduate (anyone studying a PhD or Masters) | £24 | £54* |
| Senior (retired) (read the criteria) | £24 | £54 |
| Discounted membership/rate (read the criteria) | £24* | £54* |
| Undergraduate (membership is free) | £12 | - |
*If this fee applies to you, please contact meetings@immunology.org for a discount code prior to registering
BSI grants to support your attendance at this event
As part of our career development package, we have two grants available to BSI members to support your attendance at this event.
- BSI Regional & Affinity Group Conference Grants: BSI members can apply for up to £100 to contribute towards their travel costs in attending this conference. In this scheme, we have 10 grants available for this conference and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis to eligible BSI members. Deadline: Friday 30 May 2025. Find out more and apply.
- BSI Regional & Affinity Group Carers' Grants: BSI members can apply for up to £100 to contribute towards extra care arrangements costs they incur during the conference, for example, childcare costs, or for additional care for the applicant themselves. Deadline: Friday 30 May 2025. Find out more and apply.
Abstract submission
Abstract submission is now closed.
Sponsorship
Thank you to our sponsors who are supporting this event.
Principal sponsors
Sponsors
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact our Events & Corporate Engagement Manager, Becky Dempsey, at b.dempsey@immunology.org