Harnessing the body's natural defenses
If the body were a country, the immune system would be its national guard. And it couldn't ask for a better homeland defense. The immune system is remarkably effective at protecting us against the millions of pathogens that threaten us daily. We have only to see what happens when our immune system is compromised – from disease, for instance, or by immunosuppressant drugs following organ transplantation – to understand the power it wields when it's operating at full strength.
Our goal is to understand and ultimately control how the immune system defends the body at the molecular and cellular levels. ITI teams, comprised of immunologists, pathologists, microbiologists, infectious disease experts, surgeons, scientists, and clinicians, are attacking these challenges from dozens of different avenues and pooling their talents towards achieving this shared goal.
A generation ago, the field of immunology could be taught in a single day of medical school. Today we recognize the immense power of the immune system and its potential both to protect us and to fail us. As we seek to fully understand the complex machinery of infection and immunity, we are working to quickly translate that knowledge into treatments for the benefit of people around the world.
News
Human Immune Monitoring Center
HIMC provides standardized, state-of-the-art immune monitoring assays at the RNA, protein, and cellular level, as well as archiving, reporting, and data mining support for clinical and translational studies. In partnership with the research community, we also work to test and develop new technologies for immune monitoring.
ITI Membership
Becoming an ITI Associate Member is open to faculty and researchers affiliated with Stanford University, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The Institute represents a novel interdisciplinary collaboration among clinical scientists and clinicians, engineers, basic and social scientists from throughout the University, united by their interest in immunology, transplantation medicine, infectious disease prevention and treatment.
Stanford Human Systems Immunology Center
Stanford University has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate efforts in vaccine development. The $50 million grant over 10 years will build on existing technology developed at Stanford, housed in the Human Immune Monitoring Core, and establish the Stanford Human Systems Immunology Center. The center aims to better understand how the immune system can be harnessed to develop vaccines for the world’s most deadly infectious diseases.
Invest in ITI
As a new venture, the Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection is seeking both volunteer involvement and philanthropic investment from members of the community like you. Your participation can help build awareness and excitement about the Institute's work and provide the financial support needed to launch an exciting new era of innovative medicine.
ITI Seminars & Events
Stanford Immunology Seminar Series (PhD Immunology Program)
Academic Year 2015-16, Tuesdays, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm, Alway M106
September 29
Sean Bendall, Stanford University
Massively Multiplexed Cellular Analysis in Human Health and Disease
October 6
Michelle Krogsgaard, New York University
Engineering T cell receptors for effective immunotherapy of cancer
Department of Microbiology and Immunology Wednesday Noon Seminar
Link to schedule HERE