Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)
Research
As described in the Institute's strategic plan for 2007 to 2012, the Institute will continue to pursue research excellence and capacity development, focusing its investments strategically across the following
five priority research themes, and will seek to engage partners to augment Institute resources directed to these five areas.
Emerging Infections and Drug Resistance: Solutions from innovation in tools and technologies
- High throughput, multi-organism screening mechanisms for the specific detection and monitoring of infectious agents
- Identification of resistance mechanism sources, evolution and modes of transmission in microbial infectious organism communities
- Strategies for the evaluation and introduction of effective practice change in the use of antimicrobials in the health system
- Proteomic profiling strategies to analyze surface proteins present in drug-resistant infectious organisms
- Synthetic peptides or small molecules designed to enhance antimicrobials, interfere with the growth of infectious organisms or biofilm formation or inhibit toxin production
HIV/AIDS: From prevention and therapy to addressing global health challenges
- Health systems, services and policy
- Resilience, vulnerability and determinants of health
- Drug development, toxicities and resistance
- Prevention technologies and interventions
- Pathogenesis of HIV
- Issues of co-infection
Immunotherapy: New approaches through systems biology
- Novel targets for immunotherapy using systems biology, genomics and proteomics tools
- Cell- and mechanism-based approaches to modulate immune responses in vivo
- Development of immune monitoring assays to assess efficacy of immunotherapy and immunization with vaccines
- Understanding genetic susceptibility to human infections using the tools of systems biology
- Modeling of immune cell receptor signal transduction
- Identification of biomarkers of innate immune status
- Mapping immune regulatory networks using computational biology
- Social, cultural and ethical factors that may impact immunotherapy and its use in specific populations.
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Prevention, therapy and public health challenges
- Vaccines and immunization programs: Optimal use and efficiency of existing vaccines and development of new pandemic vaccines
- The virus: Biology of the influenza virus and rapid diagnostics
- Prevention and treatment: Modes of transmission, use of antivirals and alternate strategies for prevention
- Ethics, legal and social issues: Research in risk communication, prioritization and regulatory approval processes.
Vaccines of the 21st Century: Integrating innate and adaptive immunity and novel vaccine technologies
- Activation of innate immune responses to enhance vaccine efficacy
- Preventive and therapeutic vaccine strategies incorporating novel adjuvants, engineered microbes and viruses
- Vaccine strategies that employ unique approaches to antigen identification, development, production and utilization
- Development of non-invasive routes of vaccine administration
- Comprehensive measurement of relevant immune responses, including the roles of host differences
- Cultural, legal and economic issues that may affect vaccine utilization and delivery.
