Immunology
Anyone who has overcome a bout of the flu or received a vaccination can appreciate the essential, protective role of the immune system. Yet, the simple idea of an individual’s ability to protect itself from foreign agents becomes exponentially more complex when studied at a cellular and molecular level. MMI immunology faculty are no strangers to the labyrinthine world of cells, molecules, and signaling pathways that act in our defense. Some of our faculty focus on broadly applicable immunological phenomena such as the contribution of NKT cell autoreactivity to tolerance, the regulatory role of gamma delta T cells, or mechanisms of leukocyte migration. Other MMI immunology faculty study host-pathogen relationships, often in the context of reliably adapted animal models. The development and efficacy of Blastomyces dermatitidis and Borrelia burgdorferi vaccines, the contribution of innate and adaptive cellular responses to resistance in African trypanosomiasis, and the manipulation of innate immune cells by Toxoplasma gondii constitute a few of the research foci within the context of specific infectious diseases.
Investigators
Immunology at Wisconsin
Immunology at UW-Madison is a collaborative that includes investigators across 14 departments and 5 graduate training programs. It is a collection of basic, translational, and clinical immunologists devoted to advancing our understanding of the immune system and how we can harness it to benefit human health. Our mission is to push the boundaries of immunology and its applications but also to train the next generation of immunologists. Research in the Program in Immunology covers a wide range of research foci including Allergy and Infectious Disease Immunology, Tumor Immunology, Autoimmunity and Transplant Immunology and Basic Immunology. For more information, check out the Immunology at Wisconsin website!