Immunologic Diseases and Basic Immunology

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The multidisciplinary UAB Immunology T32 Training Program, “Immunologic Diseases and Basic Immunology”, is focused on training highly motivated predoctoral students and PhD and MD graduates in the fields of translational and fundamental immunology. A major strength of the program is the broad expertise and research interests of its faculty, encompassing stem cell and lymphocyte differentiation; cellular immunology; molecular immunology; gene organization, structure and function of immunoglobulins, T cell receptors, Fc receptors, complement, and lymphokines; secretory immunity; transgenic models of immune function; immunogenetics; host responses to infectious diseases, mucosal immunology, transplantation immunology, neuroimmunology, and bioinformatics. Seven predoctoral trainees are selected from the graduate students enrolled in the Graduate Biomedical Sciences Program following successful completion of their first year of graduate study. Their training will last up to five years. This population includes students in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD program), as well as the newly minted Advance Research training In SciEnce for MDs program. Three postdoctoral trainees with a MD, PhD or equivalent terminal degree are selected on the basis of prior academic and research performance, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews. This population includes physicians pursuing fellowship training in Allergy/Immunology, Dermatology and Rheumatology. Their training will last up to three years. Because a large number of the faculty are involved in the care of patients with immunologic diseases in addition to their research programs, the program provides an interface between basic and applied immunology. Opportunities directly related to human diseases are available in autoimmune diseases, bioinformatics, vaccine development, immunodeficiencies, neoplastic diseases, immune-complex diseases, host-defense defects, dental caries, microbial pathogenesis, and transplantation immunology.