The Biomedical Sciences Cluster | The University of Chicago

The Committee on Immunology - Laboratories

With over thirty laboratories covering the most exciting areas of basic and applied immunology, the Committee on Immunology offers some of the finest training opportunities in the country. Read on for a tour of Immunological Research Foci at The University of Chicago.

Antigen Presentation. The cellular capture and processing of antigens and their presentation to T lymphocytes is a carefully regulated process that is central to immunity. Our faculty is making seminal contributions to understanding the function of classical MHC molecules in peptide presentation as well as the novel area of CD1 presentation of lipid antigens and H2-M3 presentation of formylated bacterial peptides. Albert Bendelac, Sasha Chervonsky, Marcus Clark, Jose Guevara, Chyung-Ru Wang.

Autoimmunity, Immunopathology. When immunity goes awry, multiple immune diseases can create illness and death. Our faculty is world-renowned in the areas of Celiac Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type I (autoimmune) Diabetes. Marisa Alegre, Albert Bendelac, Sasha Chervonsky, Marcus Clark, Yang-Xin Fu, Bana Jabri, Anthony Reder, Raymond Roos, Anne Sperling, Martin Weigert, Jian Zhang.

Infection Immunity. Immunity evolved to combat pathogens and harmful agents. Understanding the mechanisms of host defense to pathogens, and the mode of action of vaccines and vaccine adjuvants is critical to treatment and vaccine development. Albert Bendelac, Sasha Chervonsky, Tatyana Golovkina, Bana Jabri, Rima McLeod, Glenn Randall, Raymond Roos, Chyung-Ru Wang.

Hematopoisis, Lymphoid and Myeloid Development. Studies of transcriptional control of lineage commitment in hemopoiesis are at the cutting edge of modern Developmental Biology. Early ‘transcriptional networks’ are just being described by our faculty, uncovering both the principles and mechanisms of lineage commitment. Barbara Kee, Kay MacLeod, Harinder Singh.

Signal Transduction in Lymphoid Development and Activation. Using genetic and biochemical approaches, our faculty publishes landmark studies of some of the most complex signaling immune receptors including the pre-B and the B cell antigen receptor, the pre-T and the T cell antigen receptor, the Natural Killer (NK) receptors, the TNF receptor, dissecting their functions in cell death or survival, proliferation, differentiation, effector function. Erin Adams, Albert Bendelac, Marcus Clark, Thomas Gajewski, Fotini Gounari, Haochu Huang, Bana Jabri, Vinay Kumar, Marcus Peter, Jian Zhang.

B cell development. Our faculty has a comprehensive approach to understanding how signaling through the pre-B cell antigen receptor (pre-BCR) and the BCR directs developmental stages and coordinates immunoglobulin gene rearrangement, editing, mutation with lineage decisions, cell survival or death. Marcus Clark, Karen Frank, Barbara Kee, Harinder Singh, Ursula Storb, Martin Weigert.

Antigen receptor gene rearrangement, editing, somatic hypermutation. Our faculty has made seminal contributions to the discovery and understanding of this most fascinating hallmark of the vertebrate immune system, the ability to undergo gene rearrangement, hypermutation and editing to create antigen receptor diversity. Karen Frank, Haochu Huang, Harinder Singh, Ursula Storb, Martin Weigert.

T Cell Differentiation, T Cell Memory. Antigen-activated T cells give rise to effector and memory cells. Appropriate types of effector cells (e.g. IFN-g producing T helper 1 or IL-4 producing T helper 2) are critical for the clearance of various intracellular and extracellular pathogens. Vigorous memory formation is important for protection by vaccines. These processes have major biomedical implications in tumor and infection immunology as well as immunopathology. Marisa Alegre, Albert Bendelac, Yang-Xin Fu, Thomas Gajewski, Fotini Gounari, Bana Jabri, Anne Sperling, Chyung-Ru Wang.

Innate immunity. There is growing evidence that cells and receptors of innate immunity not only provide a first line of defense against pathogens but also control adaptive immunity. This new interface between innate and adaptive immunity is critical to understanding and manipulating tumor immunity, infections, autoimmunity. Albert Bendelac, Tatyana Golovkina, Bana Jabri, Glenn Randall, Vinay Kumar.

Mucosal Immunology. The intestine and the lung mucosal surfaces constitute unique microenvironments that harbor highly specialized immune systems. Critical to dissecting the mechanisms of widespread inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac disease, and asthma, are the studies on the development and function of the mucosal immune system by our faculty. Yang-Xin Fu, Bana Jabri, Anne Sperling.

Transplantation. Barriers to organ transplantation have been the starting point for some of the major immunological discoveries of the century. Immunological knowledge now creates multiple opportunities to develop new medical strategies for acceptance of transplants across allogeneic and xenogeneic barriers. Marisa Alegre, Anita Chong.

Tumor immunity. Our faculty has made seminal contributions to a molecular understanding of cancer antigens. Ingenious strategies are now being envisioned -and some have already been implemented- to vaccinate mice in the laboratory as well human patients, against cancer. Yang-Xin Fu, Thomas Gajewski, Jose Guevara, Hans Schreiber.

Committee On Immunology

Cancer Biology

Immunology

Microbiology

Molecular Metabolism
and Nutrition

Molecular Pathogenesis and
Molecular Medicine