Vitamin D was discovered as a curative agent for nutritional rickets, which arises from inadequate dietary calcium absorption. However, rapidly expanding research in the last couple of decades has shown that vitamin D has pleiotropic actions. Notably, key vitamin D metabolic enzymes and the vitamin D receptor are expressed in multiple cell types of the immune system, and vitamin D has emerged as a regulator of both innate and adaptive immunity. Keynote speakers will present the latest research on novel aspects of vitamin D action in the immune system and the intestine. The session will cover how the thymus controls the development of central tolerance in the immune system and the role of vitamin D signaling in thymus development, aging, and its implications for autoimmunity. Additionally, it will summarize current knowledge on the molecular actions of vitamin D in the intestine and explain its distinct molecular functions in both traditional processes, such as calcium absorption, and non-traditional actions, including its effects on colitis and cancer.
Genevieve Mailhot is a registered dietitian, professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal and a researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center in Montreal. Her interest in vitamin D began during her graduate studies where she investigated the impact of calcium and vitamin D deficiency on liver and bone health. Her research focuses on vitamin D and chronic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis and asthma, following a translational approach that connects underlying mechanisms with clinical applications. Other interests include nutritional challenges associated with cystic fibrosis comorbidities affecting the gut, pancreas and bone.