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In the 1930’s, Peter Gorer and George Snell discovered the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in laboratory mice. We now know that all animals, and we, have an MHC. Evolved 500 million years ago, and displayed on all our cells, this is the most diverse set of genes that we inherit from both parents. It is vital for immunity to pathogens and, if mismatched, causes the strongest rejections of transplanted organs.

Ninety years and five Nobel prizes after its discovery, what are the outstanding questions around the MHC and what does the future hold? With its roles in infectious diseases, reproduction, transplantation, cancer and even mate choice, how does it shape our individuality, or does it? What would the pioneers make of our discoveries in the last century?

In this Workshop, we will discuss past, present and future of immunogenetics. Participants include Dan Altman (London), Sir Walter Bodmer (Oxford), Louise Boyle (Cambridge), Frances Brodsky (London), Mary Carrington (NIH), Dan Davis (London, author of the best seller and award winning The Compatibility Gene), Zoltan Fehervari (Senior Editor at Nature), Lars Fugger (Oxford), Salim Khakoo (Southampton), Ashley Moffett (Cambridge), Paul Norman (Denver), Peter Parham (Stanford, author of the classic textbook The Immune System), Dimitra Peppa (London), Malcolm Sim (Oxford), John Trowsdale (Cambridge).

We wish to make the public aware of this beautifully complex natural system, reflect on its meaning in a broader, even philosophical context, and think about new ways to know more, with the bonus of improving health and medicine.