Cardiac Immunology explores how the immune system contributes to myocardial injury, repair, and remodeling across a spectrum of diseases. This session examines immune-driven processes in myocarditis, pericarditis, transplant rejection, atherosclerosis, cardiotoxicity, and autoimmune cardiomyopathies. Participants will review key cellular and molecular pathways—innate and adaptive immune responses, cytokine signaling, and autoantibody formation—and see how these mechanisms translate into clinical presentations and imaging findings. The goal is to help clinicians think immunologically about cardiac disease and consider targeted therapies when appropriate.

As interest grows in inflammation and immunity as drivers of cardiovascular risk, many clinicians are drawn to a cardiology conference that bridges basic science and bedside practice. This session reviews the diagnostic approach to suspected inflammatory cardiac disease, including biomarkers, cardiac MRI, PET imaging, and endomyocardial biopsy. Attendees will learn how to interpret patterns of edema, hyperemia, and late gadolinium enhancement in myocarditis, and how to integrate serologic and rheumatologic testing when systemic autoimmune disease is suspected. Special attention is paid to differentiating viral myocarditis, immune checkpoint inhibitor–related myocarditis, and other immune-mediated entities.

A major theme is the rise of immune-mediated cardiac disease in contemporary practice. Participants will explore immunosuppressive strategies for myocarditis and pericarditis, anti-inflammatory approaches in atherosclerosis, and protocols for monitoring and treating heart transplant rejection. The session addresses the balance between controlling inflammation and avoiding infection or malignancy associated with chronic immunosuppression. Case-based discussions will highlight complex management questions, such as when to escalate beyond NSAIDs and colchicine in pericarditis or how to handle cardiotoxicity in patients receiving cancer immunotherapy.

The session also considers future directions, including novel biologic agents targeting specific cytokines, cellular therapies, and vaccine-related research in cardiovascular disease. Attendees will gain insight into how multidisciplinary teams—cardiology, rheumatology, immunology, oncology, and transplant services—can collaborate around shared patients. By the end, clinicians will have a clearer framework for recognizing when immunity is central to a cardiac problem and how to select diagnostic and therapeutic strategies accordingly.