About

Immunology Program

Immunology_program

Funding

  • NCI
  • NHLBI
  • AHA
  • Sandler Foundation

The Immunology Program at CSB brings together investigators who conduct basic immunology research to understand complex disease processes. The program focuses on questions that are relevant to human health. Program members work closely within CSB but also maintain strong ties with other investigators at MGH, within the Harvard community, nationally and internationally. Program leaders emphasize the use of in vivo integrative and systems biology approaches as well as state-of-the-art imaging, surgical, genetic, cellular and molecular tools. Currently, major areas of interest include:

Immunology of cancer: Cancer is a systemic disease that promotes the expansion and recruitment of circulating immune cells (lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils and other less common cell types). This program investigates how these cells contribute to disease, and whether their actions may be harnessed for therapy.

Immunology of atherosclerosis: Circulating leukocytes, among them monocytes, are essential to initiation, progression and complications of atherosclerosis. Monocytes are functionally heterogeneous and may play differential roles in disease. This program investigates how monocytes and their progeny contribute to atherosclerosis.

Immunology of myocardial infarction: Myocardial infarction triggers recruitment of diverse immune cell types (neutrophils, monocyte subtypes), which are critical for tissue repair. The program studies the regulation of immune responses to ischemic injury, and new therapeutic targets that can influence healing and post-MI ventricular remodeling.

Immunology of organ transplantation: While the T-cell response in organ rejection is well understood, the contribution of innate immune cells is less well studied. We are particularly interested in the role of myeloid cells in rejection, and explore basic biology findings as imaging and therapeutic targets.

Immunology of asthma: The program investigates novel approaches to identify key immune cells and their functions in asthma. The goal is to develops noninvasive diagnostic tools, and to evaluate the effects of novel therapeutic agents in vivo.

Upcoming Events (more...)

  • 2009-11-25 SPECIAL CSB LECTURE - Role of Macrophage Receptors in Innate Immunity
    Siamon Gordon, GlaxoWellcome Professor of Cellular Pathology, University of Oxford
  • 2009-12-01
    Higgins, John

Recent Publications (more...)

Swirski* FK, Nahrendorf* M, Etzrodt M, Wildgruber M, Cortez-Retamozo V, Panizzi P, Figueiredo JL, Kohler RH, Chudnovskiy A, Waterman P, Aikawa E, Mempel TR, Libby P, Weissleder R, Pittet MJ
Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites
Science. 2009;325 (5940):612-6 - PMID: 19644120
Wildgruber M, Lee H, Chudnovskiy A, Yoon T, Etzrodt M, Pittet M, Nahrendorf M, Croce K, Libby P, Weissleder R, Swirski F
Monocyte subset dynamics in human atherosclerosis can be profiled with magnetic nano-sensors.
PLoS ONE. 2009;4(5):e5663 - PMID: 19461894 - PMCID: PMC2680949
Swirski FK, Weissleder R, Pittet MJ
Heterogeneous In Vivo Behavior of Monocyte Subsets in Atherosclerosis.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009;29(10):1424-32 - PMID: 19372462 - PMCID: PMC2746262 - Cover

Recent News (more...)

2009-09-09: F1000 Medicine features the Science article ‘Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites’.
2009-09-01: ‘Storage in the spleen’. An article in Nature Medicine by Clare Thomas features the article ‘Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites’.
2009-08-25: F1000 Biology features the Immunity article ‘Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites’

Immunology

Home