The human immune system is a complex structure that enables our bodies to identify and combat foreign invaders, while monitoring our cells to prevent them from growing or mutating into tumors or cancers. A compromised immune system can mistakenly direct inflammation against one’s own tissue, causing a variety of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, scleroderma, and vasculitis. While the causes of autoimmune diseases are not entirely clear, genes and environmental factors (e.g., smoking) can increase the risk of developing one. Because these diseases can be difficult to diagnose, providers must obtain a thorough record of a patient’s health history, often supplemented with a physical exam and laboratory tests to identify them accurately.
The two-part Immunology Boot Camp at ACR Convergence 2025 is a crash course in the basics of immunology designed to expand attendees’ knowledge of rheumatic diseases and therapeutic options available to treat them.
“These sessions are a good refresher for those who know the immune system, and it’s a great place for people who are just learning about it to gain a better understanding,” said Janet Bahr, APRN, MSN, BC, NP, a rheumatology provider for the Family Neighbor Clinic in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and moderator of the Immunology Boot Camp.
In Immunology Boot Camp 1: Basic Principles, 2:30–3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 27, in Room W184B-C of McCormick Place, Troy Torgerson, MD, PhD, Director of Experimental Immunology at the Allen Institute for Immunology, will present a basic framework for how innate and adaptive immune responses interact to result in rheumatic disease, and how clinicians can intervene to manipulate these systems to treat patients. Attendees will learn how the body recognizes self and foreign agents, the body’s immediate response, and how each person’s response to antigen activation is unique.
“This session may also help attendees better articulate the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases for patients, like when we’re trying to describe to a patient what’s happening with their immune system when they have rheumatoid arthritis,” Ms. Bahr said.
Building on the lessons learned on Monday, Immunology Boot Camp II: Applying Principles to Practice, 2:30–3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, in Room W184B-C, will explore some of the therapeutics that have emerged to treat autoimmune conditions. Dr. Torgerson will guide participants through clinical decision-making scenarios, as well as review the protein and cellular components of the acute inflammatory response to highlight cytokines as therapeutic targets for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
“With some of the new and emerging pathways, we begin to see some crossover into other fields like gastrointestinal health, neurology, and even cancer treatments that are targeting some of these pathways,” Ms. Bahr said. “The second session is about how we can gear treatments to help target these processes when the immune system has gone wrong.”
On-demand access to recorded presentations will be available to registered attendees of ACR Convergence following the annual meeting through October 31, 2026.
Don’t Miss a Session
If you weren’t able to make it to a live session during ACR Convergence 2025 — or you want to revisit a session from the annual meeting — make plans to watch the replay. All registered participants receive on-demand access to scientific sessions after the meeting through October 31, 2026.