In This Issue: ICIS Awards p2 Discovery of IL-8 p16 Memorial - Julius Youngner p19 Memorial - Simon Skurkovich p20 Signal THE INTERNATIONAL CYTOKINE & INTERFERON SOCIETYs NEWSLETTER­­­ OCTOBER 2017 I VOLUME 5 I NO. 2 It was with great pleasure and humility that I have served as the Society’s President for these past 2 years. The ICIS is a wonderful organization, filled with trusted and valued colleagues and collaborators, and leaders in the field of cytokine and interferon research. These past 2 years have gone by quickly, but not without major changes. First and foremost, Joan Oefner was recruited as Managing Director. Joan has taken many initiatives to promote the society, expand its membership, and enhance the value and benefits of Society membership. It is clear that under her directorship we can look forward to a vibrant and valued Society that will promote the best in cytokine and interferon research. I would also like to acknowledge my appreciation to the Milstein Young. They have been so generous in their time to help my tenure Family for their continued support of the ICIS. The Milstein Award as President in many ways. My thanks also go to two other Executive continues to recognize the best in cytokine/interferon research, the Committee members, Sarah Gaffen (Secretary) and Karen Mossman Young Investigator Awards highlight the future stars in cytokine (Treasurer). and interferon research, and the Travel awards have enabled many society members to attend the annual meeting. Mere words cannot I am especially excited and pleased to know that the leadership express the gratitude of the entire membership for the continuing of the ICIS will be in the good hands of Nancy Reich and Kate support the Milstein Family has provided over these many years. Fitzgerald over the next 4 years. With this strong leadership, I expect the Society to thrive and continue to be an organization In 2016, we also initiated a new and prestigious award, the William whose membership represents the best in scientific discovery. E. Paul Award for Cytokine Research, through the generous donation The role of and effect of cytokines in every aspect of human of BioLegend. This award is a tribute to the remarkable career of Bill health will continue to be identified and characterized and the use Paul and he will be greatly missed by immunologists worldwide. We of cytokines themselves or antibodies to cytokines will become are honored and grateful that BioLegend has selected the ICIS for even more important tools in the arsenal of clinicians. Thus, the sponsorship of this prestigious award. I also want to thank Robert importance of the ICIS as a focal point for cytokine research will Fleischmann and the Pestka family for their support of the ICIS only continue to grow. Awards. These awards recognize the younger scientists in the field and are a tribute to the wonderful careers of Christina Fleischmann The ICIS is also most grateful to those members who have stepped- and Sid Pestka. up and been willing to organize our annual meeting. This is a critical event for bringing together our membership. It is important that we Being President of the ICIS has not been possible without the help continue to have this as a yearly event. I am most grateful to David and advice of many people. I want to express my personal gratitude Artis and his colleagues for taking the leadership of the very successful to the ICIS Governing Council as their input has been invaluable San Francisco meeting in 2016 and to Kouji Matsushima, Akihiko and critical to my ability to serve as President. In addition, I would Yoshimura and Naofumi Mukaida and their colleagues for their like to express my particular thanks to Nancy Reich and Howard leadership in organizing our upcoming meeting in Kanazawa in 2017. continued on page 7 Future Cytokines 2018 Newsletter Editors: Meetings Oct. 27-30, 2018 Howard Young Boston, USA Marta Catalfamo Cytokines 2019 Annette Khalid Oct. 20-23, 2019 Vienna, Austria Managing Director: Joan Oefner The International Cytokine & Interferon Society Headquarters: [email protected] • TEL: 1-800-947-1960 • FAX: 1-201-322-1818 • www.cytokinesociety.org 2017 ICIS THE SEYMOUR AND VIVIAN MILSTEIN AWARD for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research RICHARD A. FLAVELL, PH.D., FRS Sterling Professor of Immunobiology, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Dr. Flavell is founding chair of the Department of Immunobiology innate immune response, including Toll-like receptors and at Yale and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical intracellular Nod-like receptor families (NLRs). This has recently Institute. After obtaining a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the led to the elucidation of function of Nod2 in inflammatory bowel University of Hull in 1970, he carried out postdoctoral training at diseases and Nalp proteins in the production of IL-1. Most recently the University of Amsterdam and the University of Zurich. Working he has established the connection between inflammasomes, with Charles Weissmann in Zurich in 1974, he modified genes in microbial homeostasis and chronic diseases. He showed that a virus and studied the resulting phenotype - the first example of dysbiosis of the microbiota leads to IBD and Metabolic Syndrome, what scientists now call “reverse genetics.” Subsequently, as a including Obesity, Fatty Liver disease and Type 2 diabetes. faculty member at the University of Amsterdam, he demonstrated Finally, Dr. Flavell’s laboratory has studied the role of TGF-β in the the presence of introns in mammalian genes. In 1982, Dr. Flavell regulation of immune response. This work is of relevance both to left academics to serve as the chief scientific officer of Biogen, but the control of autoimmune disease as well as evasion of immune returned to academia in 1988 to join the faculty at the Yale School response by tumors. of Medicine. Dr. Flavell has received the FEBS Anniversary Prize (1980), Richard Flavell is co-discoverer of introns in cellular genes: he Colworth Medal (1980), Darwin Trust Prize (1995), Rabbi Shai showed DNA methylation correlates inversely with, and prevents Sachnai Memorial Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research gene expression. He was the first to develop and employ reverse (2008), AAI Invitrogen Meritorious Career Award (2008), genetics as a postdoc with Weissmann and in his own lab Andrew Lazarovitz Award (2011), the William B. Coley Award for continued in this field throughout his career; he is a pioneer in Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immuology (2012) the use of this approach in vivo to study function. Dr. Flavell’s and most recently, the 2013 Vilcek Award, shared with Dr. Ruslan laboratory studies the molecular and cellular basis of the immune Medzhitov., JDRF Star of Hope Award (2014) and an Honorary response. He has been instrumental in discovering the molecular Doctorate from University of Hull. He was elected to the Royal basis of T-cell differentiation from precursor cells into differentiated Society in 1984, the National Academy of Sciences in 2002, the subsets and provided the first example of gene regulation in trans National Academy of Medicine in 2006 and the first President of via “kissing chromosomes”. Moreover, his laboratory has elucidated the newly formed International Cytokine and Interferon Society the mechanisms of immunoregulation that prevent autoimmunity (ICIS) from 2014-15. He is an honorary professor at Wuhan and overaggressive responses to pathogens. Dr. Flavell’s laboratory University, ChinaNan Kai University, China Soochow University, has also discovered the role of several receptor families in the China and Adjunct Professor, Scripps Research Institute, Florida 2 OCTOBER 2017 I VOLUME 5 I NO. 2 I THE INTERNATIONAL CYTOKINE & INTERFERON SOCIETY NEWSLETTER I [email protected] I TEL: 1-800-947-1960 I FAX: 1-201-322-1818 I www.cytokinesociety.org 2017 THE ICIS-BIOLEGEND WILLIAM E. PAUL AWARD for Excellence in Cytokine Research This new award is given to an investigator that has made significant contributions to cytokine and interferon research throughout their career. Through the generosity of BioLegend the award consists of $2500 and a crystal block with the 3 D structure of IL-4, the cytokine most associated with Dr. Paul’s research. ALAN SHER, PH.D. Chief, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID Dr. Sher received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of the Sher lab has focused on cytokine and eicosanoid pathways California, San Diego, working with Dr. Melvin Cohn at the Salk regulating host resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis along with Institute for Biological Studies. He performed his postdoctoral other strategies for host directed therapy of this major pathogen and training in the Division of Parasitology at the National Institute participated in related clinical collaborations in India, Brazil and for Medical Research in Mill Hill, London. In 1980, after several South Africa. years as a research associate and then assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, Sher joined Dr. Sher is an elected member of the AAAS, the American NIAID as a section head in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases and Academy of Microbiology and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences from 2002- 2017 served as Chief of that department. and is a recipient of the Bonazinga Award (Society for Leukocyte Biology), the Bailey K. Ashford Medal (American Society for Tropical Although initially trained as a basic immunologist, Dr. Sher has Medicine and Hygiene), the USPHS Superior Service Award and devoted most of his career to the study of immunity and immune the NIH Director’s Mentoring Award. He holds adjunct faculty regulation in parasitic and mycobacterial infections. His group positions at the Universities of Pennsylvania and Virginia. played a pioneering role in defining the effector functions of Th1 and Th2 subsets in the response to parasites later linking them to innate signals triggered by these pathogens in dendritic cells.