Autoimmunity

The Autoimmunity interest area promotes research into the derangements of immune tolerance and function that lead to autoinflammatory, autoimmune, and immunodeficient states. Examples of specific areas of interest include but are not limited to the study of: the development and loss of self-tolerance in both the innate and adaptive immune response, mechanisms of autoimmune organ damage, the relationships between autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, and therapeutic approaches to treat this group of diseases. The program supports research into basic mechansisms of immune function as well as translational studies in relevant disease states as diverse as lupus, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, primary immunodeficiency, and pemphigus. We seek to encourage cross-divisional and cross-disciplinary collaborations in order to promote novel and far-reaching discoveries elucidating the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases.