A
M
2015
Murray Edwards College • Cambridge, UK
Thursday 10 – Friday 11 September
The BAS Autumn meeting in 2015 focused on the topic of immunometabolism, where recent studies show that functional and molecular integration of the immune system and metabolism are emerging as key mechanisms underpinning diseases of the cardiovascular system, including atherosclerosis.
The first session was opened was an excellent overview of the field by Prof Naveed Sattar (Prof of Metabolic
Medicine, Glasgow University) who discussed the immune biomarker CRP vs. traditional lipid biomarkers for risk prediction, and highlighted the important ongoing clinical trial targeting the cytokine IL-1

(CANTOS) in patients with unstable atherosclerosis. The second talk by Prof Antonio Vidal-Puig (Prof in Molecular
Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Cambridge) focussed on the adipose tissue expandability hypothesis, which suggests that failure of the adipose tissue to take up any more lipid, rather than obesity per se is the key problem in metabolic disorders.
The second session focused on fundamental pathways regulating immunometabolism, including excellent talks by Professor Derek W. Gilroy (University College London) on lipoxins and the resolution of inflammation, Prof Ronit Shiri-Sverdlov (University of Maastricht) on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Dr Ian
Salt (University of Glasgow) on AMPK and Dr Mirela Delibegovic (University of Aberdeen) on PTP1B. The third session had talks by Dr David S. Leake (University of Reading) on lysosomal oxidation of LDL, Dr
Ashley M. Miller (University of Glasgow) on IL-33-induced ILC in adipose and Dr Andrew P. Sage (University of Cambridge) on B cell subsets and atherosclerosis.
A real highlight of the meeting is hosting the Hugh Sinclair mem orial lecture. This year’s recipient was Prof
Ziad Mallat from the University of Cambridge, a leading professor in the area of immune cell function and atherosclerosis. Prof Mallat presented his most recent discoveries highlighting both pro- and antiatherogenic pathways induced by the immune system, as well as future immune based therapeutic agents to limit disease severity. The Thursday evening was then rounded off with an excellent poster session with 36 posters presented and prizes for the top 4 scoring poster presentations, followed by dinner and an opportunity to discuss the day’s topics.
The society were particularly delighted by the quality of the young investigator session on Friday morning where L. Roth (University of Antwerp) won the prize for the best oral communication for her work on a new model of plaque rupture. The final session of the meeting was focused on translational studies in atherosclerosis, with excellent talks by Dr Jane K. Howard ( King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospital) on metabolic regulation by the immune transcription factor T-bet, Prof Dorian O. Haskard (Imperial College
London) who discussed humoral immunity to modified lipoproteins, and Prof Anthony S. Wierzbicki (Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital) who gave an excellent closing presentation highlighting the clinical impact of treating atherosclerotic and metabolic conditions.
Prof Sarah George (BAS Chair, far right) with the prize winners
Prof Sarah George congratulates Prof
Ziad Mallat on being nominated to give the 2015 Hugh Sinclair Lecture
Murray Edwards College,
University of Cambridge