Research Interests & Opportunities
Immunology Program faculty are internationally recognized for their research initiatives. The Program in Immunology is recognized as a strong discipline at Dartmouth and supported by an NIH Training Grant. The program was recently designated by DHMC, in a medical center-wide evaluation process, as one of four main foci for research and further development.
Research in the Immunology program covers a wide variety of topics. However there is a concentration of research effort in a number of focused areas:
Viral immunity and pathogenesis
Virus infections are of huge public health significance, and often there are very limited treatments available. An understanding of the antiviral immune response is necessary to develop new vaccines and limit immune pathology that can accompany such infections. Researchers at Dartmouth are seeking to understand how the immune response can counter a diverse array of viruses. Under study are the key components of the immune response necessary for viral control, and how under some circumstance this can damage the host. The way in which viruses shape the host response is also a key area of interest, both for acute and persistent virus infections.
Tumor immunology
Cancer is one of the major killers worldwide, and tumor immunology offers the hope of developing a lasting cure. Laboratories at Dartmouth are searching for better ways to harness the immune response to eradicate tumor cells. Research involves studies on both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms, both in human subjects and in animal models. There are strong links with the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, which serves as a focus for translational tumor immunology, where experimental tumor therapies are tested in clinical trials.
Innate immunity in infections and cancer
The innate immune response is critical for countering the early events following infection, and also in shaping and regulating the adaptive immune response. Dartmouth Immunology Program faculty study the impact of innate immunity upon infections and tumors. In the setting of virus infection, there are active research programs studying both cell intrinsic and extrinsic innate immune mechanisms. Cancer immunotherapy is also under development to harness innate immunity using cells with chimeric antigen receptors. Approaches to release suppressive microenvironments elaborated by other innate cells are also being explored.
Autoimmunity
Autoimmune diseases are complex and difficult to treat, so more research is needed regarding how the host fails to exert appropriate regulation over the immune response to 'self' antigens. Immunology Program researchers study the causes of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune liver disease. They are also engaged in testing therapies for these diseases, both in animal models and in human clinical trials.