Welcome to the Hafler Lab

Dr. Hafler is a clinical neurologist who is trained experimentally as an immunologist. His research characterizes human immune responses to autoantigens, with the aim of developing an understanding of the underlying loss of immune regulation that leads to human autoimmune disease and identifying the genetic variations associated with human inflammatory immune responses. As a clinician actively engaged in the development of clinical trials, he is an instrumental leader in the translation of experimental findings to therapies for human diseases.

Research

Dr. Hafler’s laboratory has been a major force in defining human autoimmune disease for over a quarter of a century. After demonstrating the presence of an activated peripheral immune system in patients with MS, he was among the first to apply human T cell cloning to human disease, which helped delineate the dominant epitopes of myelin antigens in MS (Nature, 1990) and of islet antigens in diabetes (Nature 2005).

Principal Investigator

Bio Profile
David A. Hafler, MD, FANA

William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly Professor of Neurology and Professor of Immunobiology