Type 2 immunity in homeostasis and disease (3rd edition)
9-10 March 2026, Ghent, Belgium
Type 2 immunity in homeostasis and disease (3rd edition)
Type 2 immunity in homeostasis and disease (3rd edition)
Organized in partnership with Science Immunology
Keep me postedAdd to calendar
Following the success of the previous editions, VIB is proud to welcome you back to Ghent for the 3rd edition of Type 2 immunity in homeostasis and disease. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Bijloke —a 13th-century architectural treasure— this 2026 conference promises to be a vital meeting point for the international immunology community.
This year’s program brings together world-leading experts and rising voices to explore the latest insights into type 2 immunity beyond its classical boundaries. Across five focused sessions, we’ll dive into:
- Effector mechanisms in homeostasis, repair, and dysregulation
- Interacting cell types and tissue niches
- Neuro/endocrine crosstalk
- Pathology and allergic disease
- Infectious disease, cancer, and fibrosis
As therapeutic strategies increasingly target type 2 pathways, understanding the full spectrum of their roles has never been more urgent. Join us to engage with cutting-edge science, foster collaboration, and help shape the future of immune-driven therapies.
Previous editions
Abstracts & travel grants
Submit your abstract for a poster presentation before the deadline of 26 January 2026. The best presentation will receive the Science Immunology Poster Prize.
We offer travel grants to international junior scientists, which will reimburse travel costs up to 400 Euros. The deadline to participate is 15 December 2025.
Host city Ghent
Quirky Ghent offers a fascinating cultural cocktail brimming with trendy, modern urban life. Ghent is a city where people enjoy life: a chilled-out place where anything goes and a city that feels human. Its friendly, welcoming people love the good life.
Confirmed speakers
Beatriz León
Beatriz León
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases & National Institutes of Health, US
Program
Day 1 - Monday, 09 March, 2026
08:15
08:50
Registration & welcome coffee
08:50
09:00
Welcome word
09:00
09:40
Opening keynote
Lung fibroblast heterogeneity in health and disease
Dean Sheppard
University of California, San Francisco, US
Keynote speaker
09:40
12:30
Session 1: Effector mechanisms in homeostasis, repair and dysregulation
09:40
10:10
Neuronal regulation of type 2 inflammation
David Artis
Weill Cornell Medicine, US
10:10
10:40
Gut commensal protozoa regulate mucosal disease outcomes
Arthur Mortha
University of Toronto, CA
10:40
10:45
End-to-end solution for immunology study
Olivier Petitjean
VectorBuilder, FR
Sponsored talk
10:45
11:15
Coffee break
11:15
11:45
Immune-stromal cell interactions regulate pulmonary immunity
Clare Lloyd
Imperial College London, UK
11:45
12:15
Type 2 lymphocytes in severe asthma and biologics treatment
Jenny Mjösberg
Karolinska Institutet, SE
12:15
12:30
Duality of HCK and SHP-1 orchestrates tuft cell activation and function
Sébastien Trzebanski
University of Zurich, CH
Selected from abstracts
12:30
13:10
Lunch
13:10
14:10
Poster session 1
14:10
16:00
Session 2: Pathology and allergic disease
14:10
14:40
Fibroblasts states in allergic immunity and beyond
Ari Molofsky
University of California, San Francisco, US
14:40
15:10
Tuft cells orchestrate airway remodeling by submucosal glands
Nora Barrett
Brigham and Women's Hospital, US
15:10
15:40
Allergen sensing and type 2 immune responses in the lung
Beatriz León
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases & National Institutes of Health, US
15:40
15:55
Tolerance to ferroptosis facilitates lipid metabolism and pathogenic type 2 immunity
Christoph Wilhelm
University of Bonn, DE
Selected from abstracts
15:55
16:00
argenx’ Immunology Innovation Program (IIP)
Fabian Bick
argenx, DE
Sponsored talk
16:00
16:30
Coffee break
16:30
18:00
Session 3: Neuro/endocrine crosstalk
16:30
17:00
New tools to dissect tuft cell mechanisms of helminth sensing and effector production
Christoph Schneider
University of Zürich, CH
17:00
17:30
Neuroimmune circuits driving allergic immunity
Caroline Sokol
Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, US
17:30
18:00
Interleukin-33 in brain health and neurodegeneration
Anna Molofsky
University of California, San Francisco, US
18:00
19:00
Reception
19:00
22:00
Social activity & conference dinner
Additional fee
Day 2 - Tuesday, 10 March, 2026
08:30
09:00
Welcome coffee
09:00
12:20
Session 4: Interacting cell types and tissue niches
09:00
09:30
Bart Lambrecht
VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, BE
09:30
10:00
Dynamics of human mast cell hyperplasia in nasal polyposis
Daniel Dwyer
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, US
10:00
10:30
Consequences of inflammatory imprinting for type 2 immune responses
Philipp Starkl
Medical University of Vienna, AT
10:30
11:00
Coffee break
11:00
11:30
Neuroimmune regulation of allergic disorders
Nicolas Gaudenzio
Inserm - INFINITY, FR
11:30
12:00
Resident memory effector and regulatory CD4+ T cells in allergic asthma
Andrew Luster
Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital, US
12:00
12:15
Chitinase-Like Proteins as Critical Amplifiers of Fibroblast-ILC2 crosstalk driving type 2 immunity
Ursula Smole
VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, BE; Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, BE
Selected from abstracts
12:15
12:20
New tools and reagents for panel design
Stefano Bonelli
BD Biosciences Benelux, BE
Sponsored talk
12:20
13:00
Lunch
13:00
14:00
Poster session 2
14:00
16:50
Session 5: Infectious disease, cancer, fibrosis
14:00
14:30
Neonatal eosinophils orchestrate intestinal barrier maturation and long-term immune homeostasis
Isabelle Arnold
University of Zürich, CH
14:30
15:00
Heterogeneity of allergen-specific, lung tissue-resident T helper 2 memory cells
Xingbin Ai
Harvard Medical School, US
15:00
15:15
Getting Dirty : A dampen on type 2 immunity
Tiffany Bouchery
Swiss TPH, CH
Selected from abstracts
15:15
15:20
MedChemExpress: Enabling Scientific Breakthroughs
Sona Allahverdiyeva
MedChemExpress, NL
Sponsored talk
15:20
15:50
Coffee break
15:50
16:20
Roles of ILC2 in the pancreas during homeostasis, inflammation, and cancer
Tim Halim
Cambridge University, UK
16:20
16:50
Infection history and cellular origin shape the long-term reprogramming of alveolar macrophages
Bénédicte Machiels
University of Liège, BE
16:50
17:30
Closing keynote
Barrier-cell pyroptosis and membrane pore formation in antimicrobial defenses and immunity
Feng Shao
National Institute of Biological Sciences, CN
Keynote speaker
17:30
17:45
Closing words
Organizing committee
Hamida Hammad
VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, BE
Bart Lambrecht
VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, BE
Clare Lloyd
Imperial College London, UK
Richard M. Locksley
University of California, San Francisco, US
Seth Thomas Scanlon
Science Immunology, UK
Evy Vierstraete
VIB Training & Conferences, BE
Abstracts
Poster information
The format for your poster should be: A0 (841 x 1189 mm / 33.1 x 46.8 in), portrait orientation. All accepted poster submissions will have a chance to win the Science Immunology Poster Prize!
The full list of abstracts will be available on 23-02-2026 until 10-06-2026
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
Attendees
The full list of attendees will be available on 23-02-2026 until 10-06-2026
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
This list will only be available for registered attendees of the event.
Sponsors
Silver
Silver
