Pioneering Progress in Immunotherapy: Recap of the ImmunoSep Symposium

We are pleased to share with you the recap of the recent "International Symposium on Immunotherapy of Severe Infections", in which course the ImmunoSep partners gathered in the beautiful Kalamata, Greece. The symposium, organised together with two sister projects of ImmunoSep, HDM-Fun and HAP2, brought together leading minds in the field to explore the future of immunotherapy with a special focus on severe infections.

The symposium included various insightful sessions on Immune therapy for hospital-acquired infections, immune dysregulation in severe infections, Immune mechanisms and immunotherapy in severe fungal infections and Immune therapy in sepsis. These, along with an inspiring keynote presentation by Michael Niederman, Cornell University, USA, under the title "What have we learned about immunotherapy for respiratory diseases?", provided a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape and future directions in immunotherapy. Additionally, poster sessions during the event showcased a wide range of research findings. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with these posters, fostering discussions and ideas. For those who missed it, all e-Posters presented as well as as well as those presentations authorised for publication by the speakers can be accessed here. A particular focus of the symposium was ImmunoSep, which is leading the development of precision therapies for macrophage activation-like syndrome and sepsis-induced immunoparalysis using anakinra and recombinant human interferon-gamma. The symposium provided a platform to present these advancements and discuss their implication for the future of sepsis management.

On the day prior to the symposium, the ImmunoSep partners convened for an internal meeting to discuss the final steps required to bring the project to a successful conclusion. The meeting was crucial in aligning the partners on the remaining objectives and ensuring a cohesive strategy for wrapping up the project, while planning and setting the stage for subsequent projects that build on the success of ImmunoSep.

The symposium and internal meeting were a great reflection of the combined efforts and commitment of all those involved in the ImmunoSep project. They reinforced the importance of collaboration and innovation in advancing the treatment of severe infections. Our heartfelt thanks go to our Clinical Trial Coordinator Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis and the entire HISS team for their great hospitality, as always, and their contribution to the success of the symposium, and of course to all those who contributed, whether through inspiring presentations, chairing sessions, their great work in the field, or in any other way.