ALT The goal of the conference is to promote collaboration between scientists in multiple disciplines and to promote the education and growth of new investigators.

ALT At the completion of the meeting the participants should: 1) be able to discuss mechanisms that regulate tolerance and autoimmunity; 2) understand how organ specific and systemic autoimmune diseases arise; 3) understand the rational for the use of biologics (for example anti-TNF, IL-1 inhibitors), drugs (for example cyclosporin, FK506) and gene therapy in the treatment of autoimmune diseases; 4) plan research that will improve the welfare of patients with autoimmune diseases; 5) deliver better care to patients with organ specific and systemic autoimmune diseases.