Mandated: COVID-19 Vaccine for all participants OR a documented COVID-19 infection within the last 3 months from the start of the conference

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to the Belgian immunologist Jules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet for his discoveries relating to immunity. Bordet is widely recognized as the founding father of the complement field. His pioneering observations at the turn of the 20th century provided fundamental mechanistic insight on the effector functions of complement, including its bactericidal activity, complement-mediated hemolysis, the discovery of conglutinin, the binding of complement to immune complexes and the discovery of anaphylatoxins. Moreover, Bordet's research laid the foundation for complement diagnostics by developing the widely applied complement fixation test. Commemorating his Nobel Prize and in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the complement field we are dedicating this meeting to Jules Bordet. Bordet's life and research achievements will be celebrated in a keynote lecture to be delivered by Prof. Michel Goldman, of The Free University of Brussels. 

The field of complement-targeted drug discovery has experienced a profound transformation during the past decade. With the first complement-specific drugs on the market, clinical experience is gained and novel  indications are being explored. At the same time, efforts in both academic and pharmaceutical research have produced new innovative therapeutic concepts and drug leads that interfere at different levels of the complement cascade; many of these candidates are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. Finally, genetic and molecular studies continue to reveal contributions of complement in both orphan and highly prevalent diseases. Apart from offering new hope for patients suffering from such diseases, the study of complement pathways, mutations, and deficiencies also teaches us important lessons about the role of complement in health and disease and allows us to refine our models and tools for applied and basic research. This conference aims to bring together academic and industry scientists and clinical development experts who are focused on contemporary and emerging aspects of complement-mediated disease pathogenesis and the development of therapeutics that modulate this system in a beneficial manner. Topics discussed during the conference include: Molecular mechanisms and targets in complement-related diseases; Novel inhibitors & pipeline compounds; Hematological disorders; Organ & cell transplantation, I/R injury and chronic rejection; Kidney diseases; Neurological & ocular diseases; Acute and chronic inflammatory disorders; Infectious diseases & sepsis; Cancer; Informative complement biomarkers in therapeutic development; Novel and unexpected indications