Our immune system can recognize potential microbial invaders, repel them and prevent their reinvasion by producing pathogen-specific antibodies. We seek to understand how the different types of immune system cells develop and function in a coordinated fashion.

Understanding normal immune system development will help us to recognize, prevent and improve the treatment of inherited or acquired immune deficiencies, autoimmune disease and malignancies.

We have learned recently that primitive fish, lamprey and hagfish, make antibodies that are very different from the ones we make, but which are equally diverse in the antigen-binding specificities and remarkably stable.  The potential biomedical uses for these fish antibodies are currently being investigated.  Other studies focus on a newly recognized family of receptors that can regulate the growth and maturation of our antibody producing cells.

• The support of the Georgia Research Alliance.
• Collegial Emory colleagues who have related scientific and clinical interests.
• Family and scientific connections.