It was a truly a delightful experience to attend the Global Immunology Summit 2024, my first conference in my home country. Held in India under the theme of Emerging Frontiers of Immunology and Immunotherapy, the conference was a testament to the growing importance of immunological research.

The three-day conference, with over 350 registered participants, was attended by scientists from the USA, Europe, Japan and India. It covered key research areas such as immunology of communicable diseases, viral immunology, cancer immunology, inflammation and autoimmunity, infection and immunity, cell biology and clinical immunology. The event featured six keynote talks, nine plenary sessions, and a young scientist talks with engaging discussions.

Moreover, the cultural program infused with Indian classical music, dance, and captivating vocal performances added a unique charm to the summit. The gala dinner at the Hill Top Garden was an excellent networking platform where I had the privilege to interact with esteemed scientists and fellow peers.

An award: fuel for the passion

However, the highlight of the conference for me was the opportunity to present my PhD research through both a poster presentation and an oral talk in the Young scientist talk session where I received valuable feedback for my research.  The title of my talk was on “RORA proximal enhancer regulate its expression during early human Th17 cell differentiation”, which is one of my PhD projects.

To my great delight, I was honored with the Best Young Scientist presentation award, a recognition that fuels my passion and dedication to my early research career.

This conference provided an ideal setting for me to establish connections with immunologists in India and build the connections for future collaborations and opportunities. During the conference, I had pleasure of reconnecting with my esteemed former supervisor, Professor Sanjeev Galande from Shiv Nadar University, India, as well as meeting alumni from Lahesmaa lab, Dr. Subhash Tripathi (Seattle, USA), and Dr. Sunil Raghav (ILS, India).

Research in Turku is world class

Based on my experience, I would say that the quality of immunology research in our centre is extremely high and supported by modern techniques. One of the highlights of the varied programme, and one that particularly inspired me, was the talk by Professor Arash Grakoui’s (Emory, USA) presentation. He told the story of attending the 2020 Nobel assembly as his mentor and colleague Professor Charles Rice was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work focused on understanding the host immune response to the hepatitis C virus and developing vaccines.

I am deeply grateful to the InFLAMES Flagship for doctoral school  funding and the TuDMM graduate school, University of Turku travel grant, whose support enabled me to participate in this enriching event. Special gratitude extends to my supervisor, Professor Riitta Lahesmaa, for her unwavering support and encouragement that made my participation at this conference possible.

Rahul Biradar

Doctoral Researcher