Research
Our size and breadth allows research in the Division of Immunobiology to cover almost all areas of modern immunology. One of our strengths is our long tradition of collaboration, with laboratories contributing their specific expertise to allow for effective group efforts to solve key problems. This also allows for highly effective multi-disciplinary strategies that are becoming increasingly important as research becomes more and more specialized.
Areas of Research,
Specific areas of interest include:
Antigen Presenting Cells and antigen presentation: The concept of antigen presentation was originally discovered by Drs. Emil Unanue and Paul Allen in 1985 and is an active area of research in the department.
Autoimmune diseases: The department has a long history of research in autoimmune diseases, particularly in the study of autoimmune diabetes. Currently a wide variety of laboratories study arthritis, diabetes, EAE/multiple sclerosis, glomerulonephritis hemolytic anemia, inflammatory bowel disease and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
- Paul Allen
- John Atkinson
- Kyunghee Choi
- Marco Colonna
- Chyi-Song Hsieh
- Ken Murphy
- Andrey Shaw
- Thad Stappenbeck
- Emil Unanue
- Skip Virgin
Cancer immunology and DNA damage repair: For many years, the immune system was not thought to play an important role in tumor rejection. The Cancer Immuno-editing hypothesis developed by Robert Schreiber has clearly shown the importance of the immune system in controlling the growth of tumors. This has given support to new approaches to use the immune system to treat cancer.
Epigenetics, development and lineage commitment: The mechanism of how immune cells like T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells develop and become committed to a specific lineage is a particular strength of the division. Recent advances include the identification of transcription factors that control the differentiation of important dendritic and macrophage subsets.
Imaging: New technologies like two-photon microscopy and STORM/PALM allow for immunological reactions to be visualized in real-time as well as at the molecular level. The development of novel fluorescent reporter mice will allow new types of events to be visualized.
Infection and Immunity: How the immune system recognizes and responds to pathogens is an area of active interest in the division. Research is focused not only on the specific innate and adaptive recognition of microorganisms, but the division is particularly strong in viral immune evasion. Collaborations with the Department of Microbiology has allowed complex systems in bacteria and fungus to also be studied.
Inflammation and Immunopathology: A critical part of the response of the body to a pathogen or to cell injury is to initiate a complex reaction called inflammation. This can involve both the innate and adaptive immune system and be both acute and chronic. Recently, inflammation has been implicated in a wide variety of diseases including obesity and metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and pain. Laboratories studying inflammation in the division study a variety of models that include immune complex disease, autoimmune diseases and cancer immunity.
Innate Immunity: Work in the division involves classical innate recognition systems like the complement system but also the role of newer receptors that recognize both extracellular and cytoplasmic pathogens. Particular strengths of the division are in the area of NK cells and the role of the gut microbiota in regulating the immune system.
Immune Receptors and Signal transduction: Identification of new receptors important to immune function and understanding how they function is an important area of research in the group. Researchers in the division were the first to describe the immunological synapse, and characterized some of the first NK cell receptors identified. In addition, a wide variety of signaling pathways downstream of receptors is being studied in the division.
Stem Cell Biology: Stem Cell Research in the Immunobiology Division includes studies of self-renewal, lineage commitment and differentiation of embryonic stem, induced pluripotent stem, hematopoietic stem and epithelial stem cells.