Mouse Modeling
Yale has a long history of seminal contributions to basic immunology through use of genetic engineering and advanced tools in mouse models.
Research Areas
Research in the Track focuses on the molecular, cellular, and genetic underpinnings of immune system function and dysfunction during development, pathogen and microbiome encounter, cancer, genetic disease, and in a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. In addition to our long-standing efforts to advance basic science research that can be applied towards human disease, we have developed a Human Translational Immunology (HTI) Section to directly study human immunology and human diseases as a complementary lens to advance basic and translational immunology. Additionally, research in the Track benefits from numerous resources, collaborations, training, and synergies with centers and institutes that intersect with basic and human/translational immunology at Yale University, including the Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology (YCIO), Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale (CCAY), Microbial Sciences Institute (MSI), Institute of Biomolecular Design and Discovery (IBDD), Center for Infection and Immunity (CII), and the Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI).
Research training in our Track provides excellent access to a combination of cutting-edge methodological themes to approach immunology research questions. In particular, Track faculty excel in advancing basic and translational immunology research through:
Mouse Modeling
Human Immunology
The study of human immunology and human diseases is a major strength in the track, with a numerous laboratories working with human samples and trials to advance knowledge of the triggers, mechanisms, consequences, and treatments of human diseases, of the immune response to emerging pathogens, as well as of healthy human immune responses in various contexts.Systems & Computational Immunology
Investigating immune responses using multi-omics approaches with single-cell resolution and integration of diverse datasets is enabling an unparalleled wealth of information about cellular and molecular interplay at a systems level.Advanced Imaging
Immune dynamics and the spatial relationship of key immune actors in tissue sites are best captured by static or live imaging.
General Research Interests
Leveraging these, the general research interests of the Immunology Track break down into seven major research themes, spanning almost all aspects of the immune system and its role in disease prevention, as described below.
Leukocyte Development & Differentiation
Areas of major interest include the receptors and signals that control leukocyte lineage commitment, cell maturation, cell proliferation, homing, and cell death; the establishment of the proper environments for leukocyte development; mechanisms that regulate the state of chromatin during leukocyte development and differentiation; and the mechanisms by which antibody and T cell receptor genes are assembled and diversifiedResponse to Infection
A major interest is the study of infectious organisms—bacterial, viral, and parasitic—and the immune response to them.Inflammation & Homeostasis
Activation of cells of the innate immune system, including neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells trigger inflammatory responses that bridge to initiation of adaptive immune responses by lymphocytes.Cancer Immunology
A major focus in the program is on dissecting mechanisms of the immune response against transformed cells in the body at different tissue locations and different time scales from early to late stages of cancer.Microbiome & Immunology of Barrier Tissues
The vast landscape of microbes and microbial products that bathe our body surfaces and mucosae remains a major frontier at the interface of immunology and microbiology.Neuroimmunology
The crosstalk between immunology, the microbiome, and neurology/neuroscience is extensive with interconnected regulation of these vital biological systems having wide-ranging implications for health and disease.Autoimmunity, Allergy, & Transplantation
The immune response is tightly regulated to prevent and suppress reactivity to self and benign environmental stimuli, and the mechanisms by which these tolerance processes are maintained and cause disease when disrupted are studied in several laboratories.