INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

EOSINOPHIL NEWS
Message from the President
Hello and Welcome to Everyone Interested in All Things Eosinophil!
I would like to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year with great expectations for 2011 and all that it
will bring to each of our lives. The time since our last biennial meeting in Bruges, Belgium, has come and gonequickly with changes/events that have had significant effects on eosinophil research and the very character of
the International Eosinophil Society. Some things are noticeable to all: Eosinophil research is as viable androbust as it ever has been!! Indeed, the pace and scope of studies has been at times bewildering with studies in
the clinical arena as well as basic research activities detailing new and novel aspects of eosinophil biology. For
example, the often complex and tenuous link between eosinophils and asthma was made significantly moreclear by back to back clinical studies in The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating in sufficiently
powered studies the utility of mepolizumab (i.e., anti-IL-5 approaches) as a therapeutic option in the treatment of asthma patients(Haldar, P., et al., (2009) N Engl J Med 360, 973-984; Nair, P. et al., (2009) N Engl J Med 360, 985-993). These productive clinicalstudies have not been limited to asthma as our colleagues studying gastrointestinal diseases continued to explore and detail the
involvement of eosinophils in these diseases (see for example Straumann, A., et al., (2010) Gut 59, 21-30). Basic research studies
investigating the roles of eosinophils in health and disease have been equally productive and have refused to “take a back seat”
regarding their importance. In particular, two eosinophil research studies were so significant as to adorn the cover of Nature
Publishing Group Journals since our last meeting (Yousefi, S., et al., (2008) Nat Med 14, 949-953; Chu, V.T., et al., (2011) Nat
Immunol 12, 151-159). Moreover, studies by Redwan Moqbel and Peter Weller demonstrating a functional, and yet an autonomousrole for released eosinophil granules, were a remarkable advancement in our understanding of potential eosinophil effector functions(Neves, J.S., et al., (2008) Proc Nat Acad Sci 105, 18478-18483). The community has also begun to see a paradigm shift in our
understanding of eosinophils and eosinophil activities (Lee, J.J., et al., (2010) Clin Exp Allergy 40, 563-575). No longer are these cells
simply destructive end-stage effector cells working like drones in service of other “more important” leukocytes as part of host defense.
Instead, studies like Judy Appleton and colleagues (Fabre, V., et al., (2009) J Immunol 182, 1577-1583) have opened up new areas ofresearch and thought, implicating eosinophils as regulators of tissue immunity even as part of “host defense.”
Some of the changes to the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. have also been subtle and behind the scenes but no lessimportant. During the past year WE BECAME AN OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED SOCIETY!! As we move toward our meeting
this year in June you probably have begun to see and will continue to see the changes that are now occurring. We are working on
our website (www.eosinophil-society.org) to make it more informative and useful (e.g., incorporation of resource pages).
Registration for this year’s meeting will be more like other larger conferences that you all have been to with a functional
registration site and link to the scientific program for the 2011 meeting in Quebec City. The effort and planning towards thisyear’s meeting by the 2011 Chair of the Meeting’s Scientific Program, Dr. Helene Rosenberg, has been simply outstanding. The
meeting title for the 7th Biennial International Eosinophil Symposium is “Eosinophils 2011: Forever Young,” reflecting a new
spirit and enthusiasm that Dr. Rosenberg has brought to the process. Look for novel minisymposia and venues such as new awards
and prizes for contributions to eosinophil research at this year’s meeting. In addition, I am pleased to announce that the 2011 Paul
Ehrlich award for lifetime achievement towards a greater understanding of eosinophil biology was awarded to Dr. Timothy
Williams. In summary, the meeting is shaping up to be an outstanding forum with an emphasis on the present and an eye toward
our future. This is a unique opportunity for trainees and junior faculty to participate and for investigators outside the eosinophil
community to develop synergy with established eosinophil biologists. A must attend event!!

James J. Lee, PhD
President

PAGE 1INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

The IES - A Short History
by Jerry Gleich, MD

The International Eosinophil Society, Inc. is now arobust organization with a constitution, an excellent
organizational structure, a committed executive group
and an interactive membership. All of us are eagerly
anticipating our next meeting in Québec City,
Canada to learn more about the eosinophil but also
for the camaraderie and interactions with ourcolleagues.
Our Society evolved rather gradually until it
crystallized at a 1999 meeting in Lund, Sweden. The
Society’s evolution paralleled increasing interest in theeosinophil, its functions and its role in physiology anddisease. A search on “eosinophils” going back 100
years indicates that the numbers of citations increased from an average of approximately two per year from 1911 until 1940 toover 6,000 per year from 1996-2010 (a graph of the number of citations per five years is shown in the figure). As interest in theeosinophil increased, a series of meetings occurred with the eosinophil as the central focus. A meeting at Brook Lodge, Michigan,in 1981 commemorated the 100th anniversary of the eosinophil’s discovery by Paul Ehrlich (at least approximately, because
Ehrlich likely discovered the eosinophil in 1879). This was followed by a meeting in Japan, also in 1981, on the immunobiologyof the eosinophil, and other meetings in Switzerland and Brazil, to mention a few.
However, it was not until 1999, at a meeting in Lund, Sweden, that Per Venge assembled a group of eosinophiles to initiate a newsociety, the International Eosinophil Society.
The first executive committee included Per Venge as the president, Steven Ackerman, Judah Denburg, Paul Foster, Francesca
Levi-Schaffer, Redwan Moqbel, Kiyoshi Takatsu and Tim Williams. However, the progress of the Society was not smooth. Redwan
Moqbel and Peter Weller struggled and succeeded to obtain support for the first meeting in Banff, Alberta, in 2001, and, at thelast minute, one poster session was canceled because of insufficient funds. Moreover, the meeting tone was grim because of a recent
publication implying that the eosinophil was not an important effector cell in asthma.
Redwan Moqbel, as the president and Steven Ackerman took responsibility for the second meeting in 2003 at Snowmass,
Colorado, a much more upbeat meeting entitled “Eosinophil (re Phoenix) Rising,” and Amy Klion organized a pre-meeting on
eosinophil-associated disease. These pre-meetings are now a staple of the overall meeting, and the interactions among clinicians
resulted in collaborative studies well exemplified by the project on the treatment of the hypereosinophilic syndrome withmepolizumab.
The third meeting in 2005 at Bern, Switzerland, was organized and successfully managed by Hans-Uwe Simon. At this stage, thestructure of the Society was still rudimentary, and Steven Ackerman, as our secretary-treasurer, was a bulwark of the organization.
Even at the meeting in Snowbird, Utah, in 2007, we were still working on establishing a constitution. These issues remained a
problem in 2009 at the meeting in Bruges, Belgium, organized by Florence Roufosse. However, since Jamie Lee assumed thepresidency in 2009, several of the nagging issues have been resolved, in part through the services of a professional managementcompany, Executive Director, Inc.
We now have a constitution and by-laws, are incorporated, have a useful website, and we are acquiring sufficient finances to assure
our stability over the next several years. The meetings are a beehive of activity as we interact with colleagues, speculate on new
concepts and critique established beliefs. We look forward to the upcoming meeting in Québec City, the interactions withcolleagues and sharing of ideas.

PAGE 2INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

IES News
7th Biennial Symposium is Coming!

The International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES) announces the
7th Biennial Symposium, “Eosinophils 2011: Forever Young,”
which will be held in Québec City, Canada, from June 21
through June 25, 2011. Information on the meeting venue andscientific program can be found on the official website of the
IES: www.eosinophil-society.org.
Individuals who wish to submit abstracts of original andongoing research on eosinophils, eosinophil-mediated andeosinophil-related diseases are now invited to do so:
The abstract submission deadline is April 22, 2011.
The instructions and template for submitting abstracts can befound on the website under the 7th IES Symposium headingtab. Please follow the instructions very carefully so as to avoid
administrative delay.
All abstracts will be included in the meeting abstract book andwill be included for poster presentations. Several of the posters
will be highlighted during a 30 minute poster review during
the meeting.

CSS and EGID. To maximize the opportunity for productive
interaction, the number of participants will be limited.
For more information about the workshop, please visit
www.eosinophil-society.org/UserFiles/image/EOSWORKSHOP.pdf
If you are interested in attending and have not already received
information by email, please contact Amy Klion at aklion@
eosinophil-society.org.

7thMark Your Calendar!
BIENNIAL SYMPOSIUM
INTERNATIONALEOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.
of theThe Scientific Program Committee, Eosinophils 2011:
Steven J. Ackerman, PhD
Bruce Bochner, MD
Paul S. Foster, PhD
Francesca Levi–Schaffer, PhD
Redwan Moqbel, PhD
Peter F. Weller, MD
Helene F. Rosenberg, MD - Scientific Program Director

SATELLITE CLINICAL WORKSHOP TO BE HELDIN CONJUNCTION WITH IES SYMPOSIUM
The 5th Satellite Clinical Workshop is planned for June 21,
2011 immediately preceding the IES Biennial Symposium.
This year’s topic will be “Therapy for Rare Eosinophilic
Disorders: Clinical Trial Design and Endpoint Validation.”
The workshop will be divided into two parts. The first part willconsist of brief state-of-the-art reviews of HES, CSS and EGID
highlighting issues pertinent to clinical trial design (diagnostic
criteria, definition of response to therapy, biomarkers of diseaseactivity). This will be followed by presentations from experts
in clinical trial design for complex rare diseases from academia,
industry and the FDA. The second part of the workshop will becomprised of small group discussions designed to troubleshootspecific issues facing ongoing or planned clinical trials in HES,

Eosinophils 2011

FOREVER YOUNG
2011 JUNE 21-25

FAIRMONT LE CHATEAU FRONTENACQUEBEC CITYQUEBEC CANADAWELCOME TO QUÉBEC CITYSamuel de Champlain founded Québec City (pronounce
KEBEK) on July 3, 1608. In Algonquian (the spoken languageof one of the native nations living in the area at the time),
Québec means place where the river narrows. The old City is a
Unesco World Heritage site.

PAGE 3

INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

For numerous years, Québec City was a key settlement inNorth America and has been heavily militarized. You will
notice fortifications (city walls) surrounding the old City thatare reminiscent of its strategic importance. Other key sites suchas the Plains of Abraham and the Citadel are also important
witnesses of the long lasting military presence in the City.
If you want to know a little more about the history of Québec
City, please visit: www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/EN/index.aspx

GETTING TO QUÉBEC CITY
Direct flights to Québec City (www.aeroportdequebec.
com/en/) are available from the following airports: Chicago(United), Cleveland (Continental), Detroit (Delta), Montreal(Air Canada), New York (Continental), Ottawa (Air Canada),
Paris (Air Transat), Toronto (Air Canada), and Washington,
DC (United).
The best way to get to the hotel is by taxi. You do not need toschedule in advance and the rate is fixed at $32.50. Other
transportation services are detailed on the airport website (seeabove). The airport is approximately 30 minutes from the hotel.

WEATHERThe average weather at the end of June is 22 Celsius/72
Fahrenheit during the day and 12 Celsius/54 Fahrenheit during
the night.

MEETING LOCATION AND 				ACCOMMODATIONS
The meeting will be held at the Fairmont Le Château
Frontenac, a famous hotel erected on the Cap Diamant(Diamond Cape), a beautiful site on top of a cliff leading to the
old City on the shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Rooms have been reserved at the Château Frontenac forthe meeting. Please click on this link to secure your hotel
reservation www.eosinophil-society.org/meetings/
The housing deadline is June 1, 2011.

WHAT TO VISIT IN THE CITY
Take advantage of your stay to walk the old City notably “PlaceRoyale” and the “Petit Champlain,” walk “la rue Saint-Jean,”“la place d’Youville” and “la rue Saint-Paul.” Don’t hesitate totake the ferry across the St. Lawrence River in order to have alook of the old City from another point of view.
Other interesting attractions include the Citadel, the Plains of
Abraham (Plaines d’Abraham), museums and historic houses.
The Château Frontenac organizes tours and a Tourist Office
is located in the front of the hotel. Additionally, you will findkey information about what to do in Québec at the following
website: http://www.quebecregion.com/en

SHOWS AND EVENTS
There are many artistic events during the summer. At dusk,
go the “Vieux Port” to watch the The Image Mill (le moulin
à images; www.lacaserne.net/index2.php/other_projects/
the_image_mill/) projected on the harbor building (free).
Attend the “Fêtes de la St-Jean,” a music show on the “Plainesd’Abraham” followed by fireworks during the evening ofJune 23. Beginning on June 24 you will not want to miss Les
Chemins Invisibles, a street event by Cirque du Soleil. This is afree street event.
Local Planning Committee, Eosinophils 2011:
Francis Davoine, PhD MSc
Nicolas Flamand, PhD
Michel Laviolette, MD
Redwan Moqbel, PhD

DUES STRUCTURE ANNOUNCEDYour meeting registration fee also includes
your membership in the International
Eosinophil Society, Inc. Don’t missthis opportunity! Please join us in
Québec City! Register for the 2011
Meeting Today!
Early Registration Deadline MAY 20, 2011
Register Today— www.eosinophil-society.org/
meetings/2011/registration.php

PAGE 4

INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

Eosinophiles in the News
Drs. Marc Rothenberg and Peter Weller each
received an NIAID MERIT Award for their ongoing
research on “Regulation ofgastrointestinal eosinophils”
and “Eosinophils:
mechanisms of action,”
respectively. These awards
provide up to 10 years of
NIH funding and are given
only to 15 of the most outstanding NIAIDfunded researchers.
Drs. Joshua Friedman andJonathan Spergel, Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia,
received one of two 2011
HOPE research grants from
APFED to examine the roleof miRNAs in EoE.
Drs. Steve Ackerman,
University of Illinois, andGlenn Furuta, University ofColorado Denver, received
the second 2011 HOPE
research grant for theirwork on the esophageal
string test (EST) for
diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in EoE.
Dr. Ariel Munitz, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center and Tel-Aviv University, received the2011 HOPE Junior Faculty award for his work on
inhibitory receptors in eosinophils.

HOT OFF THE PRESS
Chu VT et al. Eosinophils are required for the
maintenance of plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Nat Immunol 2011;12:151
Straumann A et al. Budesonide is effectivein adolescent and adult patients with active
eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Gastroenterology
2010;139:1526.
Balla KM et al. Eosinophils in the zebrafish:
prospective isolation, characterization, andeosinophilia induction by helminth determinants.
Blood 2010;116:3944
Terrier B et al. Interleukin-25: a cytokine linking
eosinophils and adaptive immunity in ChurgStrauss Syndrome. Blood 2010;116:4523
Legrand F et al. Human eosinophils exert TNFalpha and granzyme A-mediated tumoricidal
activity toward colon carcinoma cells. J Immunol
2010; 185:7443

EOSINOPHIL RESOURCES
Please visit www.eosinophil-society.org/resources/
for a link to these resources –• American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders(APFED)• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia - Center for
Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders• Churg Strauss Syndrome Association (CSSA)• Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders• Diagnostics Development• HES listserv• NJ/PA Eosinophilic Support Group• Office of Rare Diseases• TIGER

Dr. Kathryn Peterson,
University of Utah, received
the 2010 American
Gastroenterological Association (AGA) June andDonald O. Castell, MD Esophageal ClinicalResearch Award for work on the utility of anelemental diet in the management of EoE.

PAGE 5INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

SPRING 2011

Job Mart
Postdoctoral Fellow
UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Applications are invited for a post-doctoral fellow in the Molecular
Immunology Unit at the Institut Jules Bordet (IJB) in the center ofBrussels. Unique in Belgium, IJB is an autonomous comprehensive
cancer hospital and research center of the Université Libre deBruxelles. IJB is committed to the fight against cancer with extensive
interdisciplinary teams that extend from the research laboratory to thehospital bed.
Leading basic and clinical research is pursued at the Institut, withaccelerating the process whereby laboratory findings are implemented
in patient care, one of its principal goals. This post-doctoral projectfocuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant CD4+ T
cell-mediated functions in patients with lymphocytic variant HES or
cutaneous T cell malignancies.
We seek a PhD candidate nearing the end of their doctoral thesis
research with experience in molecular biology and a command of
standard molecular biology approaches. An interest and backgroundin studying the human immune system and/or in depth knowledge ofstatistical analyses will be considered as a plus.
The Institut is composed of individuals coming from a diversityof nations and cultures with English and French used as working
languages.

Candidates should have a PhD and/or an MD and less than five
years of postdoctoral experience. Preference will be given to highly
motivated individuals with training in molecular biology and/or
immunology.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae,
and the names and contact information for three references to:
Amy Klion, MD
Eosinophil Pathology Unit
Bldg 50, Rm 6351
Bethesda, MD 20892
Email: aklion@nih.gov
HHS, NIH, and NIAID are proud to be equal opportunity
employers. The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community inits training and employment programs.

PhD and/or Postdoctoral Fellow
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Prof. Francesca Levi-Schaffer has an opening for a PhD and/or postdoctoral student in her lab at the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of
Medicine of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The area of research
is: Eosinophils/mast cells interactions as a main effector unit in allergic
inflammation. Interested individuals should send an e-mail along withCV to Prof. Levi-Schaffer fls@cc.huji.ac.il.

Targeted start date is October 1, 2011.

Postdoctorate and Faculty Positions

For further information or to apply contact:
Dr. Karen Willard-Gallo
Molecular Immunology
Institut Jules Bordet
Université Libre de Bruxelles
121 Blvd. de Waterloo
B1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 32-2-541-3739
Email: kwillard@ulb.ac.be

CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL MEDICALCENTER

Postdoctoral Fellow
NIAID POSITION
A postdoctoral position is available immediately in the recently
established Eosinophil Pathology Unit in the Laboratory of Parasitic
Diseases/NIAID/NIH. To study the role of the eosinophil andeosinophil activation in disease pathogenesis with the ultimate goalof developing novel diagnostic tools and treatment approaches for
hypereosinophilic syndromes and other conditions associated withmarked eosinophilia, including helminth infection.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is undergoing amajor expansion to meet our long-term goals to improve global
child health through better diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes for
key targeted focus areas and diseases. We have prioritized allergic
and immunological diseases and are searching for physicians andscientists (post-doctorates, assistant, associate or full professors) withexpertise in allergy/immunology to join our Division of Allergy and
Immunology. The positions come with substantial support to develop
research and clinical programs and career development. The successful
candidate will join an interactive group of institutional members
focused on innovative research.
Interested candidates should send their CV and letter of interest to:
Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD
Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnett Avenue ML 7028
Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039
Tel: (513) 636-7177
Email: Rothenberg@cchmc.org

PAGE 6

INTERNATIONAL EOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.

7t h B I E N N I A LSYMPOSIUM

INTERNATIONALEOSINOPHIL SOCIETY, INC.
of theSPRING 2011

IES, Inc. Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
James J. Lee, PhD (USA)President-ElectAmy D. Klion, MD (USA)

Eosinophils 2011

FOREVER YOUNG

Important Dates
April 21 – Abstract Submission Deadline
May 20 – Early Registration Deadline
June 1 – Housing Deadline

June 21 – 25 – 7th Biennial Symposium of theInternational Eosinophil Society, Inc. and Satellite
Clinical Workshop

CALENDAR OF EOSINOPHILIC EVENTS
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology Annual Meeting
March 18-22, 2011, San Francisco, CA
British Society of Hematology Annual Scientific
Meeting
April 4-6, 2011, Brighton, England
American Thoracic Society Annual Conference
May 13-18, 2011, Denver, CO
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology Congress
June 11-15, 2011, Istanbul, Turkey
7th Biennial Symposium of the International
Eosinophil Society, Inc.
June 21-25, 2011, Québec City, Canada

Immediate Past-President
Steven J. Ackerman, PhD (USA)Secretary-Treasurer
Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD (USA)At-Large Directors
Bruce Bochner, MD (USA)
Monique Capron, PhD (France)
Junichi Chihara, MD (Japan)
Paul Foster, PhD (Australia)
Francesca Levi-Schaffer, MD (Israel)
Redwan Moqbel, PhD (Canada)
Florence Roufosse, PhD (Belgium)
Hans-Uwe Simon, MD, PhD (Switzerland)
Andrew Wardlaw, MD (UK)Peter Weller, MD (USA)CONTACT INFORMATION FOR
MEMBERSHIP, MEETING, WORKSHOP
Joan Geiger
Executive Director
International Eosinophil Society, Inc.
555 East Wells Street
Suite 1100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Tel: (414) 276-6445
Fax: (414) 276-3349
jgeiger@eosinophil-society.org

THE EOSINOPHIL NEWS IS SEEKING CONTRIBUTORS — NEXT ISSUE JUNE 2011!
Whether you are interested in writing a recurring column or a one-time piece, have an idea for new content, or information
about a newsworthy item, we would like to hear from you. Pictures are always appreciated. Contact Amy Klion at
aklion@eosinophil-society.org. To place an ad in the newsletter, contact Joan Geiger at jgeiger@eosinophil-society.org.

PAGE 7