Evolution of Mast Cell Research Associated with the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases: 1985-2022 Presented at 2023 NIAID Symposium.

Abstract

Present and former investigators of the Mast Cell Biology Section (MCBS) of the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases (LAD) and their colleagues organized a day long symposium in October of 2023 to honor the outstanding contributions of the MCBS headed by Dr. Dean D. Metcalfe, who recently retired from his leadership role in this department. The symposium featured an overview of discoveries that advanced the scientific understanding of the human mast cell lineage and compartment over the preceding three decades. Insights into mechanisms and molecules contributing to mast cell expansion and function in health and disease, mast cell activation, and neoplastic mast cells in mastocytosis were presented. The impact of these discoveries on the diagnosis and management of allergic diseases and mast cell disorders, as well as unmet needs in mast cell research, were reviewed. A summary of these discussions is presented in the current article.