Welcome to the Department of Immunobiology, the primary hub for research and teaching in Immunology and Microbiology in the College of Medicine of the University of Arizona.
Immunobiology has always been at the frontier of biomedical research. The discovery of key principles that govern the immune defense against invading microbes and cancer and the interaction of microbes with their host has been central for the development of new protective and therapeutic strategies for infectious and autoimmune, and more recently malignant tumor and inflammatory/immune pathology diseases. Despite this progress, however, our understanding of host-microbe interactions has remained incomplete.
The answers to many fascinating and fundamental biomedical questions are still mysterious and are awaiting resolution so that we can push the frontiers forward. Moreover, it is now clear that modern medicine requires a thorough understanding of the microbial and immunological aspects of diseases. Two breakthrough insights made our areas supremely relevant to broad areas of health and medicine. First, none of our organs and tissues are sterile, and each of them has its own microbiome and virome, as well as resident immune cells that patrol tissues and organs. And second, that the interplay of microbes, toxins and other external influences with host cells and molecules alters tissue homeostasis and function. This interplay will often determine health and play an important role in what we call “chronic” diseases, which are almost all inflammatory, and sometimes directly infectious, in nature. Therefore, emerging infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, obesity, cancer, organ and stem cell transplantation, stroke, and aging all involve microorganisms and the immune system as major factors controlling their pathogenesis. Moreover, microbes manipulate the biology of their host and the commensal microflora has been recognized for its impact on health and disease. Research in microbiology and immunology is therefore at the cutting edge for the development of future therapies for a large number of acute and chronic diseases.
In the growing Department of Immunobiology, we explore and discover new and fundamental insights into the rules of engagement that guide host-pathogen interactions and functions of the immune system. We also strive to translate this basic immunological and microbiological research into new therapeutic approaches for the clinical challenges outlined above. We approach research and education as a flexible and cooperative team, where individual faculty with synergistic and complementary expertise and interests not only contribute their strong individual scientific identity, but also devote part of their time to larger collaborative and multidisciplinary projects. This open and interactive nature of our department allows collaborative projects to be nucleated both within the department itself and in collaboration with other basic and clinical departments at the College of Medicine-Tucson, and other Colleges, Institutes and Centers of the University of Arizona Health Sciences and the UArizona.
There has never been a more exciting time to work in and study Immunobiology and Microbiology. Please visit our other pages to learn about our specific research activities and educational programs.
Janko Ž. Nikolich, MD, PhD
Department Head