Interactions between the host microbiota and the immune system play critical roles in protective immune responses against pathogens and determine the efficacy of vaccines and immunotherapies, which vary at different stages of life. Moreover, in mammals, alterations in the composition of host microbiota significantly contribute to chronic inflammatory processes, impacting most tissues throughout the organism. However, the mechanisms by which microbiota regulate the immune system in various tissues to impact health and disease at different life stages remains largely undetermined.

This Keystone Symposia conference will bring together leading experts in the field who are developing novel approaches in genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics and imaging technologies to establish the mechanisms by which specific components of the microbiota regulate immune responses in different tissue contexts. In addition, this conference is being held jointly with the Keystone Symposia conference on Circulating Metabolic Intermediates as Fuels and Signals. The joint pairing will foster new scientific collaborations and the implementation of new technological approaches to understand the intersection of metabolic, microbial and immune interactions as it relates to human health and disease.