Human Immunology - Genes and Environment

Human immune systems play important roles, either causal or as modifiers of all human diseases. Recent technological advances now enable precise characterisation of these complex and variable systems, opening the door to studying immunity directly in human subjects as a powerful complement to traditional animal models. By improving direct investigation of human immune function and accounting for genetic and environmental influences on disease, we can advance every area of medicine.

As the second conference in this series, this meeting builds on the momentum of our inaugural event by advancing our understanding of how human immune systems shape health and disease. New technologies now allow deeper insight into immune variation and its genetic and environmental drivers, transforming our ability to study immunity directly in human populations.

The programme will bring together researchers across immunology, genetics, functional genomics and physiology to address key gaps in our understanding of human immune diversity. Sessions will cover genes to function, large-scale immune variation, human infection responses, sex and age differences, links between immunity and whole-body physiology, and neglected areas such as maternal immunity.

Alongside the invited talks by the leaders of the field, the meeting will also feature short oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts, posters and poster pitch talks for a highly interactive meeting.

The conference will start at approximately 12.50 on Wednesday, 13 May and close at approximately 13.00 on Friday, 15 May 2026. All times are in BST.

This year’s themes include:

• Genes to function
• Human immune variation
• Human immune responses to infection
• Sex and age differences in immunity
• Biophysics and biomechanics of immune response
• Immunity and physiology
• Neglected health

Related event

We are delighted to confirm that Health Effects of Vaccines: From Genomics to Policy will be taking place in the same week as Human Immunology: Genes and Environment.

Registered attendees of Human Immunology: Genes and Environment, are eligible for the following exclusive benefits:

• Complimentary access to the on-demand recordings from Health Effects of Vaccines: From Genomics to Policy following the event.
• 30% discount on registration to attend Health Effects of Vaccines: From Genomics to Policy in person.

After completing your registration for Human Immunology you will receive a discount code via email to apply when registering for Health Effects of Vaccines.

Scientific programme committee

Petter Brodin
Imperial College London, UK/Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Carolina Lucas
Yale University, USA

Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu
Imperial College London, UK

David Thomas
University of Cambridge, UK

Confirmed speakers

A list of confirmed speakers will be announced soon.

Organisers – Wellcome Connecting Science

Lucy Criddle, Event organiser
Nagehan Ramazanoglu Bahadir, Programme developer

Registration deadline: 13 April (in person) | 4 May 2026 (virtual)

The in-person registration fee includes:

• Full access to scientific programme: oral and poster presentations, and networking on campus
• Access to the online conference portal to network with online participants
• Meals (lunch and dinner) and refreshments during the conference. Breakfast will be provided for delegates who have booked onsite accommodation.
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, which will be available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends

Virtual registration fee includes:

• Access to the virtual event portal (Log in details will be emailed a few days before the event starts)
• Live-stream sessions, including posters and online networking channels
• Recordings of the live-stream sessions, available ‘on-demand’ for four weeks after the event ends.

* To promote more inclusive scientific discussions with international colleagues at our conferences, virtual delegates based in Lower and Middle-Income Countries can register for free (see list of countries here).

If you are an editor or journalist, please contact the conference organiser for more information about the discounted fee or media pass.

Accommodation
Booked accommodation is for the nights of 13 and 14 May 2026.
Please note: there is limited onsite accommodation and this will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, early registration is recommended.

If you wish to book campus accommodation either side of the conference dates, please contact the Hinxton Hall Conference Centre directly.

Accommodation services phishing scam – please be vigilant. More information.

Travel visas

Please check the UK government website for advice on whether you will need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation and how to obtain one: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor. 

Confirmed attendees requiring a letter to support a visa application should contact our events team.

Bursaries

Bursary deadline: 16 February 2026

Wellcome Connecting Science offers registration bursaries (usually up to 50% of the registration fee) to those who would benefit from attending the conference but face financial barriers to attending events.

Priority will be given to PhD students/trainees,  applicants from lower and middle income countries, or those from underrepresented/minoritised groups. Other early career researchers will be considered if funds allow.

To apply for funding support, please register and then select that you want to apply for a bursary. This will direct you to the online application form. Please explain why you need support and how you will benefit from attending the conference. Once you have submitted the application form, you will be emailed an abstract portal link. Please use this to submit your abstract before bursary deadline.

Applications without abstracts will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Additional funding opportunities

Visit our support page for information on financial support, including carer grants to help delegates with the costs of caring for children or dependent family members while attending a course or a conference.

Abstract deadline: 9 March 2026

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the meeting, for both oral and poster presentations. Several oral presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted. Presenters of oral presentations are expected to be onsite for the duration of the conference, whereas those presenting posters can do so in person or virtually.

To submit an abstract, you must first register for the conference. Once your registration is completed, you will be emailed a link to submit to the abstract submission portal. If you wish to edit your abstract following submission, please use the link in the abstract acknowledgement email.

All abstracts must be submitted and, if desired, edited by the deadline. The scientific programme committee will then assess your abstract and you will be notified about 2 weeks after the deadline whether you have been selected to present an oral or poster presentation. If you require acknowledgment that your abstract has been accepted earlier than this, please contact the event organiser.

Poster boards onsite will accommodate 118 cm high by 84 cm wide (A0-portrait) of printed material. Accepted abstracts will appear in the conference programme book; poster board numbers will be allocated at the conference.

All those accepted for a poster presentation will also have the opportunity present a ~1 min ‘poster pitch’ summarising their work.

If you are interested in supporting this meeting, please contact us.

For more information about the benefits of having a presence at this meeting, see our sponsorship page.