Highlights
Education
The Division of Immunobiology is the administrative home for the University of Cincinnati Immunobiology Graduate Program. One of the major successes of the program this year was the completion of the first year of our new Immunobiology Graduate Program curriculum by our inaugural class of graduate students. These students have distinguished themselves already by receiving travel awards to national meetings, a University of Cincinnati Distinguished Lecturer Award, and a Pre-doctoral Fellowship Training Award in Biological Threat Agents. In addition, we have successfully recruited a second class of outstanding students. In addition to their participation in the Immunobiology Graduate Program, our faculty members also participate in other graduate training programs around the campus such as in the MD/PhD program and the Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program. We also actively participate in the summer undergraduate research program. In this regard, one of our summer students won first place in the Summer Student Research Poster Competition in 2004. In addition to our formal graduate training program, we continue to offer several educational opportunities for those interested in immunology at Cincinnati Children's. Participation in our Distinguished Lecturer in Immunology Series, Immunohematology Club, and Immunology Research Series continues to grow. Through the combination of these activities, we are confident that we are meeting our goal of training pre- and post-doctoral students, and/or clinicians for research careers aimed at understanding the fundamental molecular and cellular basis of immune responses in health and disease.
Research
On the research front, we have had a highly successful year. Members of the division have published 29 articles in top ranking journals such as Science, New England Journal, and Immunity this year. As a fledgling division, we have done quite well in securing external funds for our research efforts. Dr. Wills-Karp's research into the genetic and environmental basis of asthma continues to be well funded (3 RO1's, PO1, and numerous sub-contracts). Of particular note, she and her colleagues have discovered that genes in the complement factor 3 gene are tightly associated with asthma susceptibility. Dr. Hildeman has made great strides this year in dissecting the mechanisms by which antigen specific memory T cells survive in vivo. He has exciting new data to suggest that several key apoptosis genes (BIM, BAX) are critical to the maintenance of antigen specific T cell populations in vivo. His novel findings were received well at NIH as evidenced by the award of a NIH RO1 (6th percentile ranking) and an R21 (2.5th percentile). In addition, Dr. Hildeman serves as Co-PI on several successful and pending grant applications around the campus. With the support of a grant from the American Lung Association, Dr. Chiaramonte has made major strides towards understanding the mechanisms underlying pulmonary fibrosis. She has made the novel observation that activation of the innate immune system mediator, C5 (complement factor 5), exacerbates pulmonary fibrosis by directly inducing fibroblast production of metalloproteinases. These new insights may lead to the development of novel approaches to prevent or reverse pathogenic fibrotic processes in humans. Dr. Jordan's work (funded by KO8, K12, TRO) on the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of the hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a lethal childhood condition has lead to the discovery that IFN-_ may play a major role in disease. In collaboration with Dr. Filipovich, they secured a TRO grant to test this hypothesis in human patients. The results of these efforts may lead to clinical trials with anti-IFN-_ therapies. Another exciting initiative in the planning stages is a PO1 with the Divisions of Molecular Immunology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Bioinformatics to examine the hypothesis that defects in shared immunoregulatory genes underlie the rising susceptibility to asthma, diabetes, CF and arthritic conditions.
Integration
One of the primary missions of the Division of Immunobiology is to foster and strengthen collaborations within the immunology community and to provide expertise in utilization of immunological research approaches. Great strides have been made in this area over the last year. In addition to the primary research efforts of our divisional faculty, the faculty are actively involved in support of research efforts around the Children's Research Foundation and the University of Cincinnati. These efforts have led to submission of joint grant proposals with a variety of CHMCC faculty including members of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, the Division of General Pediatrics, and the Department of Molecular Genetics and the Department of Psychiatry at UC. Of particular note, collaborative efforts with the Division of Experimental Hematology have led to funding of a TRO grant to examine potential therapies.
