Dear colleagues, On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 2017 International Symposium on Autoimmunity: Epigenomics and Beyond (2017ISAEB), which will be held in the magnificent city of Beijing during April 27-29th, 2017. Autoimmune diseases affect up to 11% of the population when one includes diabetes and thyroid disease. This means that worldwide there are approximately 600 million people that suffer from a breach of tolerance. Autoimmune disorders encompass a spectrum of complex multifactorial diseases characterized by aberrant immunological response against self antigens. A plethora of clinical-pathogenetic elements and characteristics contribute to autoimmune diseases, which is well documented in the recent frontiers of medical researches. When autoimmune diseases are known to have a genetic origin, it is assumed that genetics will be the key to our understanding of why these diseases take place. We now know this was very simplistic. We know there is a distinct stochastic process and in fact, in 2012 and 2015, in Changsha, China, 30 researchers and over 1000 scientists and young scholars presented and discussed their work at the International Symposium on Epigenetics and Autoimmunity. This field has virtually exploded and as such we will organize the 2017 International Symposium on Autoimmunity: Epigenomics and Beyond, April 27-29th, 2017, in Beijing, China. In collaboration with our colleague Professor Qianjin Lu from Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics and President Elect of the Chinese Society of Dermatology, and our colleagues from the United States, M. Eric Gershwin, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Autoimmunity, and Ajit Varki, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Co-Director of Glycobiology Research and Training Center in the University of California at San Diego, we warmly welcome you and expect your participation in this high standard international symposium that will focus on cutting-edge issues in the field of epigenomics and autoimmune diseases. We have invited 18 top scientists, who have achieved the greatest honor in their respective field from around the world, to give plenary talk at the symposium. It is fitting that this meeting will be held in Beijing. Beijing stands as a bridge between the old and the new. Just as epigenetics is now a bridge between our former concepts of genetics and the far new reaches of epigenetic changes. Beijing is one of the most populous capital cities in the world. There are many historically significant scenaries in Beijing, such as the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and Temple of Heaven Park. Each year, they attract many tourists from all over the world. The city of Beijing provides travel conveniences and is rich in cultural treasures. Beijing roasted duck and Chinese cuisine will also add great flavor to your experience here. It is our hope, therefore, that you get a chance to explore Beijing and its surroundings,and enjoy the exotic and vibrant atmosphere of this great city. In the end we hope you will find this meeting exciting, that will help your own research, and especially that we will achieve discussion that will be fruitful and of benefit to our patients who suffer from these debilitating autoimmune diseases.
Co-chairs of the 2017 International Symposium on Autoimmunity: Epigenomics and Beyond
Xuetao Cao, MD, PhD Professor of Immunology Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering President, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences President, Peking Union Medical College
M. Eric Gershwin, MD, MACP, MACR Distinguished Professor of Medicine The Jack and Donald Chia Professor of Medicine Chief of Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Autoimmunity
Qianjin Lu, MD, PhD Professor of Dermatology Director, Institute of Dermatology, Central South University Director, Huan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics President Elect, Chinese Society of Dermatology
Ajit Varki, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular & Molecular Medicine Co-Director, Glycobiology Research and Training Center Co-Director, UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), USA Adjunct Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
