Oxford-Berlin Spring School on Molecular Basis of Inflammatory Diseases

About the School
The OX-BER Spring School on Molecular Basis of Inflammatory Diseases was recently established in the framework of a collaboration between the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) and the Rheumatology Departments at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ).

The aim of the spring school is to bring together graduate students and faculty of the KIR, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and DRFZ in a structured, residential programme providing advanced training in the molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory and musculoskeletal degenerative disease.

This spring school is organised in cooperation with the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy in the framework of the “Hot Topic” series of the BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program.

Background
Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), for example rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, in which persistent and unresolved inflammation develops, affect approximately 10% of the population of developed countries, and lead to considerable suffering and mortality. Current therapies remain unsatisfactory, with often limited efficacy and significant side effects. In some diseases, notably the often severe and sometimes fatal condition systemic lupus erythematosus, only one agent with modest therapeutic effect has been approved in the last 50 years. No treatments can reliably induce drug-free remission. There is a clear and significant unmet need for new therapeutic targets, underpinned by advances in the understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of these diseases. Degenerative musculoskeletal disease, such as osteoarthritis, affects up to 30% of the adult population in the developed world, and is the leading cause of disability. Not only is there no treatment which can prevent its progression, but the increasing global burden of obesity, combined with the advancing population age of developed countries, means that osteoarthritis will become even more burdensome both to populations and economies.

Rightly, IMIDs and osteoarthritis are considered important research priorities by the UK and German governments and funding bodies, and Oxford and Berlin host institutes which are internationally-recognised centres of excellence for research in these fields: the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) and the Rheumatology Departments at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ). Their mission is to translate knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of inflammation and degeneration into clinical benefit for patients, either through new therapies, or the development of diagnostic or prognostic tools.

The faculty
World-class faculty from the University of Oxford, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin as well as the DRFZ and Karolinska Institute will be introducing key relevant disease mechanisms as well as an update on recent key findings in their respective field. Furthermore, theoretical training on current cutting-edge technologies, such as single-cell sequencing, mass cytometry and in vivo imaging will be providing during technological workshops. Poster sessions will be organized to promote the interaction between the faculty and participants.

Participation
We welcome applications from Master students, Ph.D. students within their first 1-2 years, MD students, and junior clinician-scientists with an interest in rheumatic or chronic inflammatory diseases.

Fee
The participant fee of 150 Euro includes lunch, drinks and dinner on all three days. All participants have the opportunity for discussions with the speakers beyond the lectures during breaks and poster sessions. Each participant can present a poster.

Application and registration
please submit your application including:

• an abstract (140 words max.)
• or a motivation letter explaining why you would like to attend the meeting (1 page max.)
• and your CV (pdf file upload)

Due to limited space, the number of participants is restricted to 60.
Selection criteria are level of education, quality of the submitted abstract, and academic achievements.

Limited financial assistance will be provided for selected applicants in the form of both registration fee waivers and travel grants.

Please register here

Sponsorships
The event is supported by a grant from the OX/BER-BIH Joint Seed Funding as well as the Leibniz ScienceCampus Berlin for Chronic Inflammation and the Charité Stiftung.
If you are also interested in joining us as a sponsor for our current school please contact  soon as possible Ms. Jacqueline Hirscher. Thank you!

Contact: ox-ber-mbid@drfz.de

The organizing committee
Ahmed Hegazy (BER)
Andreas Radbruch (BER)
Alexander Clarke (OX)
Katja Simon (OX)
Hyun-Dong Chang
Jacqueline Hirscher
Mir-Farzin Mashreghi
Chiara Romagnani
Elise Siegert
Antigoni Triantafyllopoulou

The Venue
The event will be organised in Berlin at the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ) and Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin.