The immune system does not operate in isolation. From the nutrients we consume and the microbes we harbour, to the pollutants we breathe and the stress we endure, external signals continuously shape immune function in health and disease. Understanding how these environmental inputs are sensed, integrated, and translated into immune responses is a key challenge in immunology.
The BSI London Immunology Group (LIG) invites you to a one-day event at the Minster Building in central London, where we will explore cutting-edge research into how the immune system perceives and responds to the world around it. Through a combination of invited talks, short presentations, and a poster session, the meeting will spotlight the external factors that shape immunity and examine how these insights are opening new avenues for therapy and prevention. Delegates are invited to submit abstracts for posters and short talks, making this an excellent opportunity for early career researchers to present and discuss their work.
By looking beyond the cell and into the environment, we can build a more complete picture of what shapes immunity and ultimately improve immune health. Join us for this opportunity to connect, share, and discover.
Stay up to date by following the below and using the event hashtag #LIG26:
- BSI on X @bsicongress and Bluesky @britsocimm.bsky.social
- BSI London Immunology Group on LinkedIn
Abstract submission
Abstract submission is now closed.
Programme
Programme
08:30 | Registration and refreshments
09:00 | Welcome
Session 1
09:10 | Invited speaker: Professor Andy Hogan (Maynooth University, Ireland)
Investigating the impact of obesity on the nutritional regulation of human unconventional T cells
09:40 | Selected short talk: Daniel Brown Romero (University College London, UK)
A lipid-adapted metabolic programme in human liver-resident memory T-cells is disrupted in MASLD
09:55 | Selected short talk: Ricardo Sainz (The Institute of Cancer Research, UK)
Not All Radiation Is Sensed Equally: Radiation Modality and Fractionation Shape Tumour Immune Adaptation
10:10 | Sponsor short talk: Dr. Peter Djali, Business Development Manager, Pixelgen Technologies)
How cell surface protein organisation changes everything: Decoding immune cell function through single-cell protein interactomics.
10:20 | Invited speaker: Dr Lizzy Rosser (University College London, UK)
Gut instinct: how gut-derived signals condition B cell responses in arthritis.
10:50 | Refreshments and networking
Session 2
11:20 | Invited speaker: Dr Tara Sutherland (University of Aberdeen, UK)
Sensing the matrix: macrophage-fibroblast crosstalk in lung airway remodelling
11:50 | Selected short talk: Holly Sedgwick (University of Manchester, UK)
Investigating B Cell Dynamics and Interaction with the Extracellular Matrix in Chronic Lung Disease
12:05 | Selected short talk: Elizabeth Mann (University of Manchester, UK)
Broad-spectrum antibiotics induce polarization of inflammatory type 2 immune responses in the lung and alter the immune landscape in a model of asthma
12:20 | Keynote: Professor Yasmine Belkaid (Institut Pasteur, France)
Immunological control of host pathology
13:05 | Lunch break, poster viewing and meet the exhibitors
Session 3
14:30 | Invited speaker: Professor Sheena Cruickshank (University of Manchester, UK)
Pollution- an immune problem
15:00 | Selected short talk: Anusha Seneviratne (Royal Holloway University of London, UK)
Mapping the impact of air pollution on immunity by time-of-flight mass spectrometry
15:15 | Selected short talk: Ben Wiggins (Francis Crick Institute, UK)
The Dietary Ligand Sensor Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor promotes lung Resident Memory T cell maintenance and recall responses
15:30 | Selected short talk: James Alexander Pearson (University of Birmingham, UK)
Circadian rhythms alter Treg abundance and function resulting in time-of-day-dependent changes to Treg-targeting immunotherapy success
15:45 | Selected short talk: Laura Shuttleworth (Francis Crick Institute, UK)
Environmental heat stress disrupts immune homeostasis and microbial populations, exacerbating colitis in mice
16:00 | Invited speaker: Professor Petter Brodin (Imperial College London)
Environmental exposures shape immune systems in human newborns
16:30 | Closing remarks and prizes
16:40 | Drinks reception
18:00 | Meeting close
Registration
Registration is open, book your place here.
If one of the following categories apply to you, please contact meetings@immunology.org for a discount code prior to registering. For BSI members in the Early Career/Clinician in training, Postgraduate or Senior categories, your discount will be applied automatically if you are logged in to your account.
- Member - discounted membership/rate
- Non-member - postgraduate
- Non-member - discounted
Early Bird
The deadline for Early Bird registration is on Sunday 23 August 2026.
| BSI member | Non-member | |
|---|---|---|
| Full | £50 | £95 |
| Early Career/Clinician in training (read the criteria) | £50 | £95 |
| Postgraduate (anyone studying a PhD or Masters) | £35 | £85 |
| Senior (Retired) (read the criteria) | £35 | £85 |
| Discounted membership/rate (read the criteria) | £35 | £85 |
| Undergraduate (membership is free) | £20 | - |
Late registration
Late registration fees apply from Monday 24 August 2026.
| BSI member | Non-member | |
|---|---|---|
| Full | £62 | £120 |
| Early Career/Clinician in training (read the criteria) | £62 | £120 |
| Postgraduate (anyone studying a PhD or Masters) | £46 | £105 |
| Senior (Retired) (read the criteria) | £46 | £105 |
| Discounted membership/rate (read the criteria) | £46 | £105 |
| Undergraduate (membership is free) | £25 | - |
Registration fees include VAT.
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 21 August 2026. 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 21 August. Find out more and apply.
Sponsorship
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact our Events & Corporate Engagement Manager, Becky Dempsey, at b.dempsey@immunology.org.
Sponsorship
Thank you to our sponsors who are supporting this event.
Principal sponsor:
Sponsors:
