AAAAI annual meeting to spotlight links between immune, other systems

Key takeaways:

• The keynote will address neuronal TRP channels and neuroimmune interactions.
• Plenary sessions will explore allergic disease and crosstalk with other specialties.

Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD, president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, is very excited about the group’s Annual Meeting, scheduled for Feb. 23-26 in Washington, D.C.

“There’s a lot of new, innovative things that are going on in our specialty,” Bernstein told Healio.

This year’s theme is “Collaboration, Discovery, Innovation.”

“We wanted to highlight this theme to excite people about the future of allergy and immunology,” Bernstein said.

The clinical program

Laura Helena Van Gerven, MD, PhD, of KU Leuven in Belgium will address “Roles of Neuronal TRP Channels in Neuroimmune Interactions: Relevance to the Allergist/Immunologist” in her keynote on Saturday, Feb. 24.

“It’s really about appreciating and understanding the interaction between the immune system and the nervous system, which is quite important when we start thinking about disease mechanisms and novel treatments, especially for complex, unexplained conditions where there really are not yet any tailored, specific therapies available,” Bernstein said.

TRP channels play a significant role in chronic rhinosinusitis, whether it is allergic, non-allergic or a mixed rhinitis, Bernstein explained. Mechanical, thermal osmotic and chemical sensors trigger different TRP channels.

“These receptors are really one of the first interfaces between us and the external environment,” Bernstein said. “There’s a whole host of these receptors ubiquitous throughout our body that we’re just starting to understand in the context of allergic disorders.”

Also, the three-day Type 2 Immunity in Health and Disease Discovery Program, which will focus on type 2 immunity, mechanistic pathways and resultant diseases, will offer short talks and posters from junior investigators presenting their research.

The program is designed to create a vibrant interactive forum for sharing ideas and developing collaborations for basic researchers and clinical scientists, Bernstein said.

“We’re trying to reinvigorate the importance of basic science in our specialty, and this is a great way to encourage researchers to participate in the annual AAAAI meeting,” Bernstein said.

The program aims to create an environment where people can exchange ideas and better understand what everyone is doing at their institutions, he continued, by highlighting the basic and translational work that clinicians may not be aware is occurring.

“Through these scientific advancements, our ultimate goal is to help provide better care for our patients,” Bernstein said.

Four plenary sessions will include neuroimmunology and crosstalk between allergy and other specialties, microbial influences on allergic diseases, links between metabolic and allergic diseases and new insights into asthma development and treatment.

“Allergy and immunology is not an island,” Bernstein said. “We think about specific immune responses. But these immune responses interact with other effector cells such as neurons and neurogenic pathways in the micro-environment.”

For example, he said, it is important for clinicians to understand the differences between microbial, viral and even fungal effects on allergic conditions, which involve different non-IgE mediated mechanistic pathways.

“In fact, two-thirds of the patients we see with chronic rhinosinusitis do not have type 2 inflammation, and they’re much more difficult to manage,” he said.

Bernstein said he was particularly excited by the plenary session on neuroimmunology and crosstalk, which will address disease processes that are controlled by neurogenic mechanisms.

“I want to make sure that we are expanding our scope of practice in our specialty to understand that it’s not just putting a skin test on somebody and saying that they are allergic or not. It’s much more complex,” he said. “We have to have a broader scope of practice, broader bandwidth, and understanding of these intersecting mechanisms.”

Sessions also will explore current trends in clinical care.

“We have many advanced therapeutics that are being developed for different diseases,” Bernstein said, noting that late-breaking abstracts will address new treatments for eosinophilic esophagitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and atopic dermatitis.

“We’re making incredibly great strides,” he said, adding that researchers are on the cusp of curing hereditary angioedema via genetic therapies. There also have been great advances in treating chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis and asthma, he added.

Through their joint task force, the AAAAI and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology also recently released updated treatment guidelines for anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis.

“We’re highlighting these as well as other guidelines in different sessions throughout the meeting,” Bernstein said.

Beyond treatment

As president, Bernstein has made giving back one of his priorities, and the Annual Meeting also will spotlight these efforts.

“We are going to be announcing grants that will promote research related to volunteerism in communities to address environmental disparities,” he said. “We are optimistic that this endeavor will be well received and accepted by our membership.”

Instead of its traditional run/walk, the AAAAI Foundation will host the Rally for Research on Sunday, Feb. 25. Competitions will include a basketball shootout, a strength showdown, cornhole, a 40-yard dash, tai chi and the “Allergist Ninja Warrior,” among other events.

“Our fundraising for the Foundation is to generate grant moneys that we can award to young, promising investigators who are trying to make a career in research but may need gap funding to generate preliminary data or to support their efforts until they receive their career development K awards or other NIH funding,” Bernstein said.

These 3-year, $300,000 awards provide essential assistance for these researchers who are trying to establish themselves, he said.

“It’s very important that we continue to foster this financial support in our foundation,” he said.

The AAAAI has its eyes on allergy care beyond the United States too, with a forum on health disparities in the Middle East scheduled for Feb. 25, with representatives from many countries in the region on the panel.

“We’ll talk about health disparities in these different countries and how they can collaborate to develop better education and research programs to advance allergy and immunology care in these regions,” Bernstein said. “We hope that this inaugural forum will be successful and become an annual event.”

Other events during the conference will include the Practice Management Hub, the Annual Business Meeting, a reception for fellows in training, product theaters, poster sessions and the exhibit hall.

“There’s something for everybody at the meeting, and Washington, D.C., is a fun place to be,” Bernstein said.