Illustration Shutterstock Scientists in the same field constantly meet at symposia, congresses and conferences. But in the field of the link between nutrition and the functioning of the immune system, there was really nothing yet. That is why Joost van Neerven (Cell Biology and Immunology) and colleagues from WUR and Utrecht University took the plunge.
The result is the Dutch Nutritional Immunology Conference, which will be held for the first time next Thursday in Orion. There, 150 scientists from universities, institutes and companies will gather that day to discuss the role of nutrition on the functioning of the immune system of humans and animals. Knowledge about this can contribute to the prevention of disease.
At WUR, several chair groups are working on nutrition and immunology, says Van Neerven. ‘Nutritionists focus on the link between immunology, metabolism and chronic inflammatory diseases. Animal scientists look at the link between immunology and infection and food allergy. And the Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group also does immunological research.
Relevant niche
‘We meet regularly,’ says Van Neerven. ‘At one point, the idea arose in me to organize a broader meeting. Something like this doesn’t exist yet, not even internationally. It’s an interesting and relevant niche.’ With financial support from the Gerrit Grijns Initiative and NWO, a conference was then rigged.
At the conference – besides lectures by a number of leading figures in the field – there is especially room for the contributions of young scientists and PhD students. These were selected from fifty abstracts submitted for the conference. Van Neerven: ‘The speakers were selected broadly. We didn’t want only big names.’
Network
According to Van Neerven, the new (annual) conference should primarily become a platform for people working in the same field. ‘I think it can help people build a network. That may also lead to new collaborations. And now that it seems to be catching on so well, maybe in a few years we can make it international.
For more information see: Program | Dutch Nutritional Immunology Conference
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
