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Monday, June 3rd is the Big Day!

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AIRR-C Meeting VII – Learnings and Perspectives is starting this Monday, June 3rd, at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, in Porto, Portugal. This meeting is the regular main event of the AIRR Community and allows participants (both in-person and virtual)to enjoy a variety of scientific presentations, discussions, and poster sessions to stay up-to-date with the most recent developments in the field. It is also a great opportunity to engage with colleagues and industry sponsors, and to help early career researchers such as graduate students and post-docs learn more about possible opportunities. A huge thank you to all our sponsors who make this event possible. Your support is invaluable and greatly appreciated!

Check out the full agenda and more details on the meeting page: https://tinyurl.com/airrcmeeting7.

Use the hashtag #AIRRC7 in social media to follow and share content about AIRR-C Meeting VII.

AIRR Community Meeting VII 2024 Sponsors Infographic

Improve your BCR sequencing analysis with refined IG reference germline sets

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An important aspect of the adaptive immune receptor repertoire analysis is the identification of the V, D, and J genes contributing to the rearranged sequences. Often, the identification of the specific genes requires the use of a reference set of known immune receptor allelic germline variants. Since early meetings of the Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Community (AIRR-C), members of the community have expressed the need to have access to germline sets open to everybody (including industry) that didn’t present known issues in the available germline sets such as different nomenclatures and the requirement of buying licenses. In February 2024, the Germline Database Working Group (GLDB WG) published the manuscript “AIRR-C IG Reference Sets: curated sets of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain germline genes” introducing the AIRR-C human immunoglobulin germline gene reference. This reference is available for download at OGRDB and also available for use in IgBLAST. The AIRR-C IG Reference Sets follow the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and require a minimally restricted licence.

In episode 15 of the On AIRR podcast, Dr. William Lees (researcher at University of London and co-leader of the GLDB WG) and Dr. Corey Watson (associate professor at the University of Louisville) explain in detail the context and expectations of this effort, a major achievement of the group. Watson highlights the impressive effort that it has been for the community to get on the same page, and reach a consensus that could be materialized in these new reference sets, all during a time where the field has matured and evolved in multiple levels. “It has taken us a lot to think how to build a system that is able to accommodate all the elements and also be responsive to changes in the future. We have established a foundation that we can use to build on top of”, Watson says. Good traceability and reproducibility were also requirements from the community. In that sense, Lees explains that “the sets are free to use, can be downloaded through a REST API, they also have a DOI number, so every time a set changes, we create a new DOI, so it is a good reference to put in a paper”.

If you want to learn about the recent innovations and challenges in the generation, curation and analysis of antibody/B-cell and T-cell receptor repertoire data, and in particular in the development and use of germline resources, don’t miss the “AIRR-C Challenge Session: Using IG and TR germline resources for advancing immunobiology” in the upcoming hybrid “AIRR Community Meeting VII – Learnings and Perspectives”.

Registration Reminder for AIRR-C Meeting VII!

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Register for AIRR-C Meeting VII! Once registered, remember to sign up for the workshops and tutorials through the Whova meeting app. Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for the fabulous Cálem Port Wine Cellars Tour & Group Dinner. Tickets are almost sold out!

We now also have some striking t-shirts available for purchase in our Porto collection.

AIRR VII Meeting Registration is Live!

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The AIRR-C Meetings Sub-Committee is pleased to announce that registration is live for the AIRR-C VII Meeting!

AIRR-C Meetings VII – Learnings and Perspectives will be held in-person at the prestigious Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, in Porto, Portugal. While we are excited to gather in large numbers this June, we understand that not everyone can travel and attend in-person. As such, the Meeting will also be offered as a hybrid event so both in-person and virtual participants can engage and enjoy multiple live-streaming sessions and recorded content, an in-conference app, opportunities to engage with colleagues and industry sponsors, and to network, through the Whova meeting platform.

REGISTER NOW

Optional Group Dinner Ticket

We have secured a fabulous venue for the final night dinner on Thursday, June 6th! Porto is famous for, you guessed it, Port! As part of the group dinner, we have arranged for a brief cellar tour that will include some fascinating history of the region. 

Be sure to register for the group dinner and cellar tour event on the Whova meeting platform. It will take place at the Cálem Port Wine Cellars. Your ticket includes the cellar tour, a welcome cocktail reception, a selection of drinks, and a three course meal (you choose options from a set menu).

Early Bird Discounts & Ticket Types

The early bird discount is available through April 14th on all ticket types including in-person tickets, non-academic/industry tickets, virtual attendee tickets and one-day-only tickets.

AIRR-C VII has a jam packed agenda!

View the current program at a glance, which includes the following keynote speakers:

  • Jeff Gray (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
  • Nicholas Provine (University of Oxford, UK)
  • Bill Schief (Scripps Research, USA)
  • Hedda Wardemann (German Cancer Research Center, DE)

Student/Postdoc Mentoring Session and Match-ups

Are you willing to be a mentor and share your insights and exciting research with the future generation of AIRR-researchers? Are you interested in being mentored? Be sure to sign up when you complete the registration form.

We will host specific sessions for students and postdocs – be sure to check the agenda for the “early career track” and we hope you enjoy the speed networking and career development panel.

Deep Dive Software/Tools Tutorials

There will be 10 different software/tool tutorials at the Meeting and each person can attend two! Be sure to sign up through the Whova meeting platform for the “in-person-only” Deep Dive Software/Tools Tutorials on Tuesday, June 4th, early as space is limited.

Poster Sessions & Short Talks

Our fun and informative poster sessions are back and we have had an overwhelming response with over 80 posters submitted and 10 short talks accepted! Given the frequent demands of people to add additional posters, we have reopened the abstract submission form until April 26th. For those seeking this great opportunity, fill out this form.

Travel Award Application for Early Career Researchers and Students/Postdocs

The AIRR-C VII Meetings Sub-Committee obtained a grant from the EFIS – European Journal of Immunology to help support early career researchers and student/postdoc trainees to attend the meeting in person. If you are interested in learning more and applying, please use this link for access to the secure application form. Competition closes on April 15th, 2024.

Industry Networking Reception and Sponsorship Opportunities

We will be hosting an industry networking reception. If you know of a company interested in participating in this event or in Meeting or Community sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at meetings@airr-community.org for further details.

Meeting Venue Information & Porto Transit Information

The meeting will be held at the FEUP – School of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal. There are several options for getting there besides walking (by metro, bus, car, or train). Detailed information is available in the Whova meeting platform in the Logistics Center.

A huge thank you to our AIRR-C Meeting VII Sponsors!

Gold

  • Cellecta
  • MiLaboratories
  • PipeBio

Silver

  • ENPICOM
  • The Antibody Society
  • Voredos

Bronze

  • FairJourney Biologics
  • ImmuneWatch
  • Infinity Bio, Inc.
  • MAbSilico
  • NaturalAntibody
  • UCB

Travel Award

  • EFIS – European Journal of Immunology

Follow us at #airrc7!

We look forward to meeting with you in June! Don’t hesitate to reach out to meetings@airr-community.org should you have any questions or concerns.

Tune in for the March Seminar Series exploring antibody heavy chains!

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AIRR-Community-Seminar-Series-March-2024-1

Registration for the March 28th (8:00 am – 9:30am PDT/11:00 am – 12:30 am EDT/4:00 pm – 5:30 pm CET) AIRR-C Seminar Series session is open. Following the usual format of the series, an established and an early career scientist will discuss their AIRR-seq related research. Melissa Smith (University of Louisville) will present “The Hidden Diversity of Antibody Heavy Chains: Implications for Autoantibody Mediated Disease”. Next, Oscar Rodriguez (University of Louisville) will present “Genome poises antibody repertoire from early B cell development”. Register now!

Please note that there is a DST (daylight savings time) anomaly between North America and Europe, we will start at the regular 16:00 CET time.

Visit the AIRR Community Seminar Series website to learn more about this monthly series and access the recordings of past sessions.