Using Reproductive Immunology to Improve Clinical Practices

The American Society for Reproductive Immunology's Second Clinical Reproductive Immunology Symposium: ‘Using Reproductive Immunology to Improve Clinical Practices’ was held on October 27th to 28th 2012, in New Haven, Connecticut. The objective of this symposium was to disseminate up‐to‐date clinical reproductive immunology information and how it relates to current clinical practices, diagnostics, and therapeutics for women's reproductive and pregnancy‐related issues, with a view to bridging the distance between clinicians and translational researchers. It provided a common platform to physicians and physician scientists to facilitate the application of research outcomes into current medical practice. This symposium highlighted the current status of health issues during pregnancy including preeclampsia, preterm birth, maternal obesity and diabetes, autoimmunity and infection. In addition, a session was dedicated toward demystifying laboratory techniques of reproductive immunology for clinicians. This symposium was attended by approximately 50 delegates along with the 16 invited speakers and included 17 presentations that addressed key issues in the immunology of maternal–fetal well‐being. This report will summarize the highlights of the meeting.