THE "MACROPHAGE CLUBS" IS A OPEN NETWORK OF LABORATORIES PRESENT IN FRANCE INTERESTED IN THE BIOLOGY OF MACROPHAGES AND RELATED CELL POPULATIONS (MONOCYTES , MICROGLIA).
ORIGINALLY, THE MACROPHAGE CLUB OF TOULOUSE ORGANIZED A FIRST MINISYMPOSIUM IN TOULOUSE IN 2016 ( MCT2016) AND INVITED RESEARCHERS FROM MONPELLIER. THE LATTER HAD ALSO INITIATED A MACROPHAGE GROUP and ORGANIZed A MINI SYMPOSIUM IN MONTPELLIER THE SAME YEAR (2016). BASED ON THIS EXPERIENCE, THE TOULOUSE AND MONTPELLIER CLUBS INITIATED THE SYMPOSIUM OF MACROPHAGE MONOCYTES (SOMM) WHICH TOOK PLACE EACH YEAR ALTERNATELY IN TOULOUSE (SOMM 2018) AND MONTPELLIER (SOMM2017 & SOMM 2019). THIS INITIATIVE LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF OTHER MACROPHAGE CLUBS WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY ORGANIZED SOMMS (SOMM 2021 BORDEAUX, SOMM 2022 NICE, AND SOON SOMM 2023 PARIS).
THE "MACROPHAGE CLUBS" AIMS TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH ON MACROPHAGES AND TO PROMOTE EXCHANGES OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN THIS FIELD GATHERED BY OUR SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.
THE CLUBS HELD MEETINGS WITH SPECIFIC FOCUS COVERING THE MAIN FIELDS OF RESEARCH ON MACROPHAGE BIOLOGY RANGING FROM INFLAMMATION AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES TO CANCER BUT ALSO INCLUDING TISSUE SPECIFIC MACROPHAGE FEATURES (LUNG, PERITONEAL CAVITY, LIVER, INTESTINE, HEART) OR MAJOR CELLULAR PROCESSES SUCH AS POLARIZATION, TOLEROGENESIS OR IRON RECYCLING.
THE "MACROPHAGE CLUBS" ORGANIZE SYMPOSIA (somm) HIGHLIGHTED BY KEYNOTE AND INVITED SPEAKERS RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN THIS FIELD. BUT SUCH SYMPOSIA ARE BUILD AS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL AND IN PARTICULAR TO YOUNG SCIENTIST TO PRESENT THEIR WORK IN ORAL OR POSTER PRESENTATION .