Immunology
LYMPHOCYTE TOLERANCE AND AUTOIMMUNITY
LYMPHOCYTE ACTIVATION
LYMPHOCYTE DEVELOPMENT
TRANSPLANTATION
IMMUNOTHERAPY
CLICK HERE FOR A LISTING OF IMMUNOLOGY
FACULTY
University
of Minnesota Center for Immunology
The University of Minnesota has a rich tradition of
research accomplishments in immunology. Pioneering work in the development
of the immune system and tumor immunology/ immunodeficiency was
led by Dr. Robert Good and his colleagues in the 1960šs and early
1970šs. During this same time period, internationally recognized
programs in major organ and bone marrow transplantation were developed
at Minnesota. Recent initiatives have included the recruitment of
numerous immunologists to the University of Minnesota over the past
ten years, the establishment of the Microbiology, Immunology and
Cancer Biology graduate program in 1995, and the coordination of
immunology research activities through the University of Minnesota
Medical School by the formation of the Center for Immunology. Immunologists
also play critical leadership roles in graduate education, including
supervision of NIH-funded training grants in immunology and cancer
biology at Minnesota.
The broad range of research activities in the Immunology track of
the Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology program reflects
the interdisciplinary nature of immunological research in the 21st
century and provides a rich array of research and career opportunities
for talented, motivated students. At Minnesota, a collegial community
of internationally recognized scholars utilizes state-of-the-art
technologies in genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry to investigate
the mechanisms by the which the immune system fights off disease.
These technologies include generation and analysis of knockout and
transgenic strains of mice, DNA microarrays to analyze changes in
gene expression during immune responses, confocal microscopy to
image immune cell-cell interactions in vitro and in vivo, and multi-color
flow cytometry. Interactions with other laboratories in the Microbiology
and Cancer Biology tracks are extensive, and specific studies range
from investigations of immune responses to specific pathogens to
clinical studies related to the development and utilization of anti-cancer
immunotherapies.
Students interested in obtaining a Ph.D. in immunology
will find a stimulating and collegial environment at Minnesota fostered
by faculty members with a commitment to providing outstanding training
for graduate students. Numerous meetings and seminars enhance our
research activities, and laboratories are clustered together in
state-of-the-art research buildings in order to foster interactions
and intellectual stimulation.
Research within the Immunology track is focused on
several key aspects of immunity:
LYMPHOCYTE TOLERANCE AND AUTOIMMUNITY
- How does the immune system acquire tolerance to self-proteins?
- How are self-reactive T and B lymphocytes eliminated during
development?
- What are the biochemical mechanisms by which T cell tolerance
is maintained in the peripheral immune system?
- Why does the immune system have so much difficulty recognizing
tumor cells as foreign?
- How do the various cells in the immune system collaborate to
maintain tolerance to self proteins?
- What are the consequences of a breakdown in immunological tolerance?
- What is the molecular basis of autoimmune diseases?
Investigators: Gregerson,
Hogquist,
Jenkins,
Khoruts,
Mescher,
Mueller
LYMPHOCYTE ACTIVATION
- How does the immune system respond to antigenic peptides?
- How does immunological memory develop?
- What are the biochemical signaling pathways that initiate and
regulate T and B cell activation?
- How are T cells maintained in the body in a state of readiness?
- What is the molecular basis for the antibody response?
- What are the mechanisms that regulate the movement of leukocytes
through the body?
- How do T cells regulate the function of other T cells?
Investigators: Abrahamsen,
Bohjanen,
Jameson,
Jemmerson,
Mescher,
Peterson,
Schlievert*,
Shimizu,
Walcheck
LYMPHOCYTE DEVELOPMENT
- How are T and B lymphocytes educated during development to
distinguish between self and non-self?
- What are the environmental cues that regulate lymphocyte development?
- What are the biochemical pathways that regulate T and B cell
development?
- How do undifferentiated stem cells develop into hematopoietic
cells?
Investigators: Farrar,
Hogquist,
Kaufman,
Largaespada*,
LeBien*,
Miller,
Van
Ness*
TRANSPLANTATION
- What is the immunological basis of transplant rejection?
- How can our knowledge of the immune system be used to enhance
the survival of transplants?
- What are the mechanisms of rejection in xenotransplantation?
Investigators: Blazar,
Dalmasso, Zhou
IMMUNOTHERAPY
- Can we use our understanding of how the immune system functions
to develop new and more effective immunotherapies?
Investigators: Mescher,
Miller,
Pennell*, Zhou
*MICaB faculty with a secondary appointment in the
Immunology track
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