An era of immunological discoveries heralded by molecular biology

The Molecular Mechanisms of Immune Cell Development and Function (MMICDF) meeting sponsored by the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) occupies a special niche because of its focus on the molecular mechanisms that underpin immunological processes. This biennial meeting with small groupings of participants and interactive nature has provided a forum for intense, informative, and influential scientific discussions. The meeting is unique for its focus on molecular mechanisms that control the exceptional processes of DNA recombination, somatic hypermutation (SHM), and gene expression during immune cell development, activation, and differentiation. The organizers of the foundational meeting reflect on the coalescence of scientific advances that catalyzed its origin, review meeting highlights to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and project into the future.