Webinar | Healthy Planet, Healthy People: How Climate Change Impacts Human Immunology
A panel of researchers and policy experts discusses the threats climate change poses to the human immune system and science innovations can mitigate the impact.
Join researchers and policy experts at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 28, for a live, interactive webinar on the threats climate change poses to the human immune system and how science and innovation can mitigate some of the negative impacts, presented by Science/AAAS and Michelson Philanthropies.
Featuring Dr. Gwen W. Collman of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Dr. Marcelo Korc of the Pan American Health Organization, and Dr. Sheri Weiser of UC San Francisco, and moderated by Dr. Sean Sanders of Science/AAAS.
Register for the webinar here.
“Climate Change and Human Immunology” is one of the topic areas for research proposals for the 2021 Michelson Prizes (the other topic is “Human Immunology and Vaccine Research”). Researchers submitted their work—which aims to expand our understanding of the potential effects of climate change on immune function with a particular interest in research that will directly translate into vaccine and immunotherapy development to mitigate its impact—for consideration to be awarded the $150,000 research grants, which will be announced later in 2021.
Climate change, along with natural and human-made health stressors, can have a profound effect on the human immune system and health. Water quality, pollution, and other environmental factors can increase susceptibility to disease, especially in vulnerable populations. A warming climate and increasing exposure to allergens may disrupt antigen-specific tolerance, leading to a rise in immunologic disease. Vector-borne illness and emerging pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, can cause epidemics that result in profound disruptions to global health security. Malnutrition is known to affect both innate and adaptive immunity, increasing susceptibility to disease, especially among children. Recent evidence points to the microbiome as a key player in the immune system, with declining biodiversity potentially leading to inflammatory, autoimmune, and neurological diseases.
In Wednesday’s webinar, experts will explore these challenges and focus on ways that science and innovation can mitigate negative impacts of climate change on human health, such as devising novel vaccine approaches, investing in discovery science that elucidates the inner workings of the human immune system, and supporting research to translate this knowledge into the development of enhanced disease treatments and immunotherapies.
During the program, the panelists will:
· Discuss the burden climate change is placing on the human immune system, and explore how that burden is being borne inequitably by poor and vulnerable populations,
· Highlight critical research areas with the greatest potential to mitigate the impact of climate change on human health, and
· Identify potential pathways for policymakers, research funders, and medical and scientific communities to support climate change-focused health research.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to participate during the Q&A portion of the broadcast. Submit your questions in advance by sending them to webinar@aaas.org.