Laurie Glimcher

HSPH has received a $20.5 million biodefense grant-the largest to date for this kind of research granted to the school by the federal government-to study the immune system response to pathogens.

The project, "Arming the Immune System Against Pathogens," will be led by Laurie Glimcher, Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

The funding is from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and spans 4 1/2 years. HSPH is also receiving federal funds for leadership training for public health preparedness in a bioterrorism crisis.

"The school is gratified to receive this award, which will aid in global understanding of the immune system response to attack by infectious agents, whether naturally occurring or intentional," said HSPH Dean Barry Bloom. "Our national security depends increasingly on vigorous basic research and a strong public health infrastructure to protect public health at all times."

"We are thrilled that the award will enable us to pursue this work," said Glimcher. "This project will certainly also enhance general understanding of how the immune system works and could lead to applications for dealing with both familiar and new infectious agents."

The overarching goal is to develop molecules that modulate the host immune system so as to augment the protective effects of vaccines against microbial pathogens.

An effective immune response against microbial agents must be of both appropriate magnitude and type. Cell-mediated immunity (Type 1) relies on a subset of T helper lymphocytes that induces both inflammatory and cytotoxic responses essential for destruction of intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Francisella tularensis, the cause of the respiratory disease tularemia. Humoral immunity (Type 2) requires activation of B cells to produce antibodies.

Among HSPH faculty, Glimcher and Michael Grusby, professor of molecular immunology, will study early molecular checkpoints in the development of each of these immune response types. Igor Kramnik, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases, will examine genetic determinants of host resistance to pathogens in vivo. The laboratory of Eric Rubin, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases, explores the genetic constraints of the pathogen itself.

They will be joined by Gregory Petsko, Gyula and Katica Tauber Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry; Director, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center at Brandeis University, specializing in protein structure determination, and the MannKind biotechnology company in Valencia, CA focused on the immune system with expertise in drug discovery to develop a novel strategy for biodefense.