Stromal biology describes the influence of fibroblasts and endothelial cells on tissue development, function and pathology through active crosstalk with parenchyma and immune cells. This meeting will focus on stromal regulation of immune-driven outcomes, from organ homeostasis through major human pathologies including infection, cancer, autoimmunity and fibrosis. This meeting aims to expand our understanding of stromal biology and reveal new cross-disciplinary insights that integrate cellular and mechanistic processes across diverse tissues and diseases states. The program will highlight new tools and technologies at our disposal, to better understand these drivers on the cellular level and in in vivo contexts. Attendees will leave this meeting with exciting fresh ideas and a topographical view of how stromal cells impact immunity across disciplines. Career development and networking events are built into the program to foster collaboration and mentorship.

In addition, we will showcase new therapeutic targets in stromal biology to accelerate translation impacts in the clinic.  The emerging collective identity of stromal cells is already yielding transformative advances, as reflected in the rapid increase in stromal-targeting therapies undergoing clinical experimentation.  However, many efforts remain siloed in discrete disciplines; this meeting will provide a unique opportunity to unite researchers across disparate scientific and clinical areas, to share cross-disciplinary insights and provide an integrated view of how stromal cells impact immunity across tissues and systems. In addition, this meeting will bridge scientists across sectors, integrating academic, clinical and industry perspectives to drive collaborations that will accelerate translational impacts.

This conference will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposia on “Fibrosis: Cross Organ Pathology and Pathways to Clinical Development” to promote cross-fertilization of ideas and drive interdisciplinary collaborations and discoveries. This is an outstanding and synergistic pairing as fibroblast biology and function is closely intertwined with matrix biology, inflammation and immunity, that together contribute to overall tissue organization and the pathological manifestation of fibrosis.