Meeting report: regulatory myeloid cells

Recent investigations of regulatory myeloid cell mobilization and amplification in response to cancer and chronic inflammation associated with infectious disease and autoimmunity have provided numerous insights into the suppressive mechanisms, pathobiology and potential pharmaceutical modulation of MDSC. Controversies have emerged as hematology investigators, have suggested that regulatory myeloid cells, including MDSC merely reflect normal physiological responses to inflammatory and growth factor stimuli. A recurring theme at the recent "International Immunopharmacology Conference on Regulatory Myeloid cells" held in Arlington, Virginia, October 21-24, 2010, focused on efforts to more clearly elucidate molecular features of MDSC from the immature myeloid cells observed in the circulation in response to acute infection and inflammatory responses. Evidence for the potential contribution of regulatory myeloid cells to pathologic processes and sequelae associated with numerous inflammatory and malignant diseases also suggested that these cells may represent a significant deviation from the normal physiologic responses to acute inflammatory stimuli. The relevance of these research efforts was evident from the discussions by numerous clinical investigations regarding their efforts to modulate MDSC in cancer patients to augment immunotherapeutic treatments.