History of ISDCI

The international Congresses have always played important roles in the history of our Society. They have been crucial in promoting interests in developmental and comparative immunology worldwide. There are no better ways to exchange scientific views and experimental data tha at such international meetings, where experienced scientists, postdocs, and young PhD students meet not only during scientific sessions, but also at informal coffee breaks, meals, drinks, and laboratory visits.

Since the founding of ISDCI in 1980, there have been six Congresses in Europe, four in North America, one in Australia, and one in Asia. This website provides an interesting overview of these previous international meetings. Enjoy reading about them and seeing a few pictures of these events!

Honorary members

Chris Secombes

Chris Secombes is Past President of the ISDCI, Emeritus Professor at the University of Aberdeen, and above all a fish immunologist with more than 40 years of research experience. He has been world leader in research of cell-mediated immunity/cytokine biology of fish. He obtained his PhD under the supervision of Prof Margaret Manning (then at the University of Hull) and Prof Tony Ellis (Marine Lab, Aberdeen). Following a period at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, on a NATO postdoctoral fellowship, he was appointed to the Established Chair of Zoology at Aberdeen. He later became head of the Zoology Department, and then Head of the School of Biological Sciences. He also was Head of the Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre, which he establised. In 2007 he was awarded the Alexander Ninian Bruce prize from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) for “his outstanding contribution to our understanding of the immune system of fish, particularly salmonids”.