The Duke University Center for Human Systems Immunology (CHSI) held its second annual in-person retreat on May 31, 2024, at the Apella in Durham’s Research Triangle Park. Researchers from various fields convened to present their discoveries and foster collaboration. Keynote speakers Dr. Allan Kirk and Dr. Warren Kibbe discussed CHSI’s future within Duke Surgery and the role of Artificial intelligence in precision oncology, emphasizing data-driven solutions, ethical technology development, and equitable access. Faculty and trainees showcased their research, highlighting multi-model data integration and advanced computational approaches in immunology. The day’s poster sessions provided a platform for early-career researchers to share their latest findings and receive valuable feedback. Additionally, three awardees of the 2024 CHSI pilot grant presented their research, covering topics such as influenza-specific memory NK cells, predicting tumor immune microenvironment subtypes using AI, and exploring Epstein-Barr virus immune reservoirs in multiple sclerosis. Attendees were encouraged to engage with the awardees about their studies.
The 2024 CHSI Leadership Award recognized the CHSI Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee members and the Surgery’s SEEDS program team. Winners included Nicole Yates, Shyam Sutariya, Dimple Harit, Saman Baral, Kelly Seaton, Tara McNair, Rachel Spreng, and Kassandra Spiller.
Additionally, the best Flash Talk was awarded to Haleigh Conley (postdoc, Mentor: Justin Pollara) for her presentation titled, “IgG and Fc receptor genetic variation associates with functional antibody responses in HVTN108.” Poster winners were Sho Sugawara (postdoc, Mentor: Keith Reeves) for research on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against HIV-1, Dieter Mielke (Mentor: Guido Ferrari) for exploring post-symptoms SARS-CoV-2-specific B cell responses and antibody binding in COVID-19 patients living with HIV and Sinan Ozbay (Associate in Research at Biostatistics & Bioinformatics) for navigating the manifold of single-cell gene coexpression to discover interpretable gene programs.
For more information, visit the CHSI Retreat 2024 recap newsletter.