Scientists, doctors, Nobel winner, gather at UAB to share latest ...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- About 250 doctors, researchers, students and scientists, including a Nobel Prize Laureate, will be meeting this weekend at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to talk T-cells, B-cells and other aspects of the human immune system.

It's the second annual Spring Immunology Symposium aimed at highlighting the work in the field at UAB and other institutions in the Southeast.

For the public, it offers a chance to see a Nobel Prize winner.

The free event features Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel, a 1996 Nobel Prize for Medicine winner from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, whose topic is "Immunology taught by viruses."

Zinkernagel will be speaking from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center, where the two-day event is being held. For a complete schedule Saturday and Sunday go here.

"We want to showcase immunology at UAB and the work being done in the Southeast," said Dr. Harry Schroeder, professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Genetics at UAB. "A great deal of academia is focused on the coasts. But we have been doing a lot of great work here that I don't think always gets the recognition it deserves."

Schroeder is co-organizer of the symposium along with Hubert Tse, assistant professor in UAB's Department of Microbiology.

Schroeder said the symposium offers a chance for collaboration not just among senior scientists but the graduate students, trainees and fellows.

"Science is becoming big time," Schroeder said. "And increasingly scientists can't do things on their own. There's a need to collaborate. So part of what we are doing here is encouraging regional collaborations."

Shoeder said immunology touches on so many health issues, including arthritis, diabetes, AIDS, cancer, allergies and skin diseases.

With about 100 people working in immunology at UAB, the area of study is an important focus and major grant recipient of the university, he said.

Other featured speakers include Lasker Award winner, Dr. Emil Unanue of Washington University School of Medicine, and Dr. John Cambier of the Denver School of Medicine.

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/06/scientists_doctors_nobel_winne.html

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