Programme

Preliminary description:
The immune system is increasingly recognized not as an isolated defense mechanism, but as a dynamic, evolutionarily shaped physiological network that is tightly integrated with multiple organ systems. Rather than acting solely through local immune circuits, immune function is regulated across spatial, temporal, and systemic scales, reflecting pressures imposed by environment, metabolism, reproduction, and neural control. This cross-sectional symposium aims to explore new concepts of immune system physiology, moving beyond classical compartmentalized views of immunity and autoimmunity. Contributions will address how evolutionary forces have shaped immune diversity and regulatory strategies, how immune responses are coordinated at the organismal level, and how central nervous system processes participate in immune regulation, including emerging evidence for long-term neural representations of inflammatory states. Further perspectives will focus on the gut–immune axis as a critical interface between environmental exposure, metabolism, and immune homeostasis, as well as on the unique immunological adaptations required during pregnancy, where tolerance and defense must be precisely balanced.