SUMMARY
The 2024 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Immunometabolism in Health and Disease will be the
second GRC on the interface of cellular metabolism and immunity (or “immunometabolism”), a cutting-edge,
emerging field in immunology. Cellular metabolism serves as both a fundamental mechanistic driver of and
intervenable therapeutic target in infectious, allergic, and other immune-mediated diseases. The realization that
metabolism is reprogrammed during the immune response and that bioenergetic and other metabolites are
‘repurposed’ to modulate immune functions has led to a recent paradigm shift. As this young and interdisciplinary
field accelerates, there is a critical need to convene experts and trainees alike. To this end, we are holding a
meeting at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island from June 16–21, 2024. We are assembling international
experts, both from academia and industry, on the role of cellular metabolism in the programming of myeloid and
lymphoid immune cells in immunity and disease, and thus expect to foment productive, high-level discussions
and collaborations, as well as significant interest among early-career investigators and trainees. Among the
Specific Aims of our meeting are presentation of cutting-edge unpublished science, discussion and resolution
of current controversies in the field, identification/prioritization of unmet needs in the field, stimulation of new
collaborations, and provision of a comfortable and productive forum for trainees and early-stage investigations
to learn and share their findings. Starting with a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) organized by and focused
on trainee and early-stage investigators for scientific presentations and career development, the Co-Chairs, Drs.
Catherine "Lynn" Hedrick and Jeffrey Rathmell and Vice Chairs Drs. Ping-Chi Ho and Nancie MacIver have
planned nine oral sessions to promote dialogue among established leaders in immunometabolism and emerging
experts ranging from trainees to early-career scientists. Each session will also include short talks from abstracts
submitted to the GRC. Session 1 – Principles of Immunometabolism. Session 2 - T Cell Immunometabolism.
Session 3 – Inflammation and Autoimmunity. Session 4 – Metabolic Control of Innate Immunity. Session 5 –
Microbiome Influence on Metabolism and Immunity. Session 6 – Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular
Disease. Session 7 – Obesity and Aging in Cancer. Session 8 – Tumor Microenvironment. Session 9 –
Translating Immunometabolism. Invited speakers and discussion leaders are diverse and inclusive, including
women (55%), early-stage investigators (24%), underrepresented minority groups (10%), international experts
from five countries outside the US (13%), with 66% new to this GRC. The focus of our conference will advance
understanding of infectious, allergic, and immune-mediated diseases, and we are honored to invite NIH
administration officials as attendees. Our meeting agenda addresses diverse topics related to the crosstalk
between immunity and metabolism in myeloid and lymphoid cells in immune-mediated diseases, including
infection, allergy, autoimmunity, cancer, atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetes.