IMMUNOLOGY2025™, the leading annual all-immunology event worldwide, recently convened May 3-7, 2025, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Hosted by AAI, IMMUNOLOGY2025™, was an amazing opportunity for immunologists to connect, collaborate, advance their careers, and share cutting-edge research, at a time where it is more important than ever for the immunology community to come together. Read on for AAI’s top highlights of IMMUNOLOGY2025™.
Cutting-Edge Research
IMMUNOLOGY2025™ offered attendees access to cutting-edge research, from novel insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms, to early clinical advances in autoimmunity, cancer and other diseases. Over 3800 scientists from around the world came to hear research presented through insightful talks and poster sessions.
Kicking off the meeting was a session hosted by the AAI Program Committee called Back to School: A Review of Four Fast-Moving Fields. This session set the tone for the cutting-edge research to be shared at the meeting by providing an overview of new developments in the fields of bone marrow hematopoiesis, chromatin accessibility, immune engineering in cancer, and bioinformatics.
One of the biggest highlights from IMMUNOLOGY2025™ was the President’s Address delivered by AAI President, Dr. Stephen C. Jameson. Dr. Jameson opened with a rallying speech underscoring the importance of the scientific community coming together to share knowledge and make connections that will drive forward discoveries and improve health. Dr. Jameson followed this with a passionate talk summarizing his career achievements studying CD8+ T cells, and paid homage to the many young scientists who had come through his lab and helped to shape the direction of his research.
Each day IMMUNOLOGY2025™ started with Major Symposia and ended with Distinguished Lectures, where prominent immunologists shared new research on contemporary topics. One major symposium, Systems Immunology and AI: Transforming Data into Predictive Immunological Insights, reflected the truly cutting-edge nature of the research shared at IMMUNOLOGY2025™ including how to use machine learning to better design CAR-T cell therapies.
Dr. Wayne Yokoyama, Sam and Audrey Loew Levin Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, gave a passionate distinguished lecture reflecting on the start of his research career just blocks away from the convention center in Honolulu. Dr. Yokoyama spoke about how his current research is challenging the current paradigms used to explain autoimmunity.
Career Advancement through sessions and networking
Among the many highlights from IMMUNOLOGY2025™ were the opportunities for attendees to advance their careers at IMMUNOLOGY2025™. Career sessions provided much needed support to immunologists facing an uncertain job market given current funding cuts to universities and research institutions. Career-specific sessions were available to attendees on topics such as how to have a successful postdoctoral experience, how to convert a CV into a resume, and even individual resume coaching to help attendees achieve their goals.
Some career session provided specific coaching and advice for career paths outside of academia, such as industry. The Careers in Biotech: Panel Discussion and Networking Roundtables included immunologists from Amgen, GenMark Diagnostics, Red Tree Venture Labs, Genentech, Inc., and Uniquity Bio who shared their experiences with registered attendees. These industry professionals answered live questions from attendees such as how to build networks, successfully utilize LinkedIn, how to make good first impressions and offered advice related to breaking into the industry.
At both the Career Roundtable and Speed Networking session hosted by the AAI Minority Affairs Committee and Careers in Science Roundtable hosted by the AAI Committee on the Status of Women participants across career stages partook in small-group discussions. Participants from across background attended to hear inspiring advice from established immunologists on how they have handled career challenges and how to navigate careers in uncertain times. Discussions included international opportunities in science, succeeding in graduate school, finding a mentor, tips on grant writing, considerations for scientists in M.D.-Ph.D. careers, and exciting careers beyond the bench, providing something for everyone.
Collaborate with peers, prospective mentors, and industry
One of the greatest benefits of IMMUNOLOGY2025™, is being together with colleagues from across the globe, whom you may only see annually at the meeting. Invited societies and organizations from around the world covering fields such as influenza, bacterial infections, cytokine signaling, sex-based differences in autoimmunity, and more hosted Guest Symposia where attendees collaborated on this topic specific content. One guest symposium, Retroviruses in Cancer and Immunity, hosted by the International Retroviral Association presented exciting new research on the role of Epstein-Barr virus in influencing AIDS defining cancers in persons living with HIV.
Collaboration at IMMUNOLOGY2025™ goes beyond research collaboration to include efforts shaping the future of immunology. The AAI Medical Immunology Curriculum Task Force has been conducting surveys across the U.S. to develop a new immunology curriculum to be taught in medical institutions. The task force presented their recommended learning objectives and attendees provided feedback to collaboratively advance this educational endeavor and the future of immunology education.
Another important opportunity to shape the future of immunology came in the form of a grassroots letter-writing campaign to Members of Congress. Attendees were given the opportunity to reach out to their representatives, sharing stories of the specific ways in which the current funding-cuts have impacted them, their institution, and their state, while also advocating for at least $51.3 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2026. You can still take action by participating in the letter-writing campaign until May 27, 2025.
Connecting a global community of immunologists
Highlights from IMMUNOLOGY2025™ also include the new ways attendees had to connect with colleagues and expand their networks. New to IMMUNOLOGY2025™ was First Things First, a session on day one where new members and first-time attendees learned how to navigate IMMUNOLOGY2025™ and connected right away with other first-time attendees and meeting ambassadors.
Also new this year were Major Hangout Complexes (MHC I and MHC II), spaces around the convention center for attendees to connect, network and continue conversations. Attendees could sign-up for poster tours, meet AAI staff, and even leave encouraging messages on white boards for each other. Connection went beyond academic session to include the many exciting social events of IMMUNOLOGY2025™. Attendees enjoyed gorgeous tropical weather while connecting with peers at events like the Opening Night Reception on the rooftop of the convention center and the IMMUNOLOGY2025™ Gala beachside at Hilton Hawaiian Village.
IMMUNOLOGY 2026™
IMMUNOLOGY2025™ was a smashing success, and we hope to see you April 15-19, 2026 in Boston, MA for IMMUNOLOGY 2026™. As the meeting is a couple weeks earlier, be sure to save these important dates:
- Abstracts will be open for submission September 3–October 15, 2025
- Late-breaking abstracts will be open December 2–16, 2025
- Early registration will be open December 17, 2025–March 13, 2026
