VBT/CVRC Annual Retreat

At this year’s VBT/YCVRC Retreat, the keynote lecture was formally dedicated as the Inaugural Jordan Pober Lecture in honor of Dr. Pober’s long and ongoing career filled with seminal advances in vascular biology, his role as a dedicated mentor, and his founding of the VBT Program at Yale. At this 20th Annual VBT/YCVRC Retreat, the Pober lecture was delivered by Dr. Peter Libby, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and current President of the International Atherosclerosis Society.

Dr. Libby provided an overview of the history of atherosclerosis research, drawing on anecdotes and studies from his vast experience that spans over 35 years in this area. He explained how he initially encountered resistance and conflicting views from the scientific community regarding the role of inflammation and cytokines in atherosclerosis, noting that it is now clear that the debate over the roles of lipids versus inflammation is a “false dichotomy”, with both factors making essential contributions to pathogenesis. In addition to an enlightening overview of his work (and Dr. Pober’s) in the field over the years, he presented his exciting recent studies on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and its contribution to inflammation, aging, and cardiovascular risk. Throughout the talk, he highlighted the translational significance of the work, including recent groundbreaking clinical trials such as CANTOS and new trials in progress based on the inflammatory mediators, such as ZEUS (targeting IL6). Dr. Libby’s captivating talk illustrated how each novel finding builds our understanding of a pathology and raises additional questions and directions, and the need for scientists to be open to challenges, hypotheses, and new breakthroughs.

Authors: Kathleen A. Martin, Phd and Kanika Jain, PhD

Friday, October 4, 2019
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
West Campus Conference Center

Keynote Speaker:
Gary K. Owens, Ph.D Robert M. Berne Professor of Cardiovascular Research, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics

Schedule of Faculty lectures, poster session, and meals to be provided prior to the event

Friday, October 19, 2018
8:00 am – 4:30 pm
West Campus Conference Center

Keynote Speaker:
Christer Betsholtz, PhD Director of the Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre at Karolinska Institutet Professor Vascular and Tumor Biology in Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University