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It has been almost 40 years since it was fi rst observed that cells of the immune system
could in fl uence the functions of bone [ 1 ] . Since that time, signi fi cant strides have
been made in our understanding of the interactions between hematopoietic, immune,
and bone cells. This fi eld is now known as “osteoimmunology,” which is a term that
was fi rst coined by Arron and Choi in an commentary in Nature in 2000 [ 2 ]. In the
11 years since the fi eld has grown markedly. PubMed now lists over 2,000 references
that combine the terms immunology with osteoclasts or osteoblasts. The 3rd
International Conference on Osteoimmunology was designed to further nurture the
development of this fi eld. It met at the Nomikos Conference Center Fira, Santorini,
Greece, from June 20 to 25, 2010. Over 145 participants heard a rich program that
was composed of 22 half hour talks and 11 short 10-min talks. In addition, there were
65 abstracts presented as posters. The subjects covered in these presentations spanned
all the current topic areas of this fi eld. Talks were divided into sessions. These
included Niche and Soil, three session on the Basic Concepts of Osteoimmunology:
Osteoblasts, Osteoclasts and Cross Talk, and a session on emerging areas entitled
“Up and Coming.”
However, the most important function of this meeting was to bring together
researchers from the sometimes-disparate fi elds of immunology and bone biology
so that they could interact, exchange ideas, and develop new collaborations. The
Organizing Committee for this meeting is deeply indebted to its many sponsors in
both the public and private sector who provided the resources that made the meeting
an overwhelming success. |
