14-Jul-2009 9:00 PM EDT
Seminal Finding Has Major Implications for the Development of New and Better Vaccines
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has identified the specific gene which triggers the body to produce disease-fighting antibodies -- a seminal finding that clarifies the exact molecular steps taken by the body to mount an antibody defense against viruses and other pathogens. The finding, published online today in the prestigious journal Science, has major implications for the development of new and more effective vaccines.

Released: 3-Aug-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Researchers Discover Novel Tumor Suppressor
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology researchers studying an enzyme believed to play a role in allergy onset, instead have discovered its previously unknown role as a tumor suppressor that may be important in myeloproliferative diseases and some types of lymphoma and leukemia.

Released: 24-Sep-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Visionary Concept Earns La Jolla Institute Scientist Prestigious NIH Pioneer Award
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has received one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s top awards -- the 2009 NIH Director's Pioneer Award.

Released: 29-Oct-2009 4:40 PM EDT
New Type 1 Diabetes Research Center and Elam Discovery Wall Dedicated
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, an international leader in immunology research and San Diego’s only research institute focused solely on immune-mediated diseases, today will dedicate its new Elam Discovery Wall and Type 1 Diabetes Center, which will focus on research into novel immunological-focused approaches to type 1 diabetes.

Released: 17-Nov-2009 9:00 AM EST
Previous Seasonal Flu Infections May Provide Some Level of H1N1 Immunity
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 “swine” flu. “The question we asked was, “Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?,” said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute’s Center for Infectious Disease.

Released: 17-Dec-2009 1:00 PM EST
NIH Awards La Jolla Institute $18.8 Million for Major Infectious Disease Study
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will take aim at several of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases – tuberculosis, malaria and dengue virus -- in a five-year, $18.8 million federally-funded set of projects seeking to make new inroads toward vaccines against the disorders.

8-Feb-2010 3:40 PM EST
Scientists Prove Hypothesis on the Mystery of Dengue Virus Infection
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A leading immunology research institute has validated the long-held and controversial hypothesis that antibodies – usually the “good guys” in the body’s fight against viruses – instead contribute to severe dengue virus-induced disease, the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology announced today. The finding has major implications for the development of a first-ever vaccine against dengue virus, a growing public health threat which annually infects 50 to 100 million people worldwide, causing a half million cases of the severest form.

Released: 7-Jun-2010 1:40 PM EDT
Team Discovers Important New Player in Diabetes Onset
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

If you think of diabetes onset like an elaborate molecular drama, then a research team led by a La Jolla Institute scientist has unmasked a previously unknown cellular player, which is critical to proper insulin secretion. “Defective insulin secretion is a hallmark of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes,” said Catherine Hedrick, Ph.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, who led the team, which included researchers from the University of Virginia.

Released: 20-Jul-2010 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Teams with Dana-Farber and Washington University on Sickle Cell Clinical Trial
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have joined forces with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Washington University in St. Louis to investigate a potential new therapy for sickle cell disease, a severe and chronic illness affecting more than 70,000 Americans and several million people worldwide. A drug called Lexiscan™ (regadenoson - Astellas Pharma US,Inc.), approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a pharmacologic stress agent used to diagnose heart disease in some patients, will be tested in the multi-center clinical trial. Patient recruitment for the trial is under way.

Released: 8-Oct-2010 12:00 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute to Develop San Diego’s First Center for RNAi Genomics Research
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology will develop San Diego’s first Center for RNAi screening -- a breakthrough genomics technology that will further enhance San Diego’s reputation as a national research leader and provide the local biomedical community ready access to the Nobel-Prize winning technology.

Released: 9-Dec-2010 5:00 AM EST
La Jolla Institute Validates Type 1 Diabetes Computer Model’s Predictive Success Through Lab Testing
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A La Jolla Institute team, led by leading type 1 diabetes researcher Matthias von Herrath, M.D., has demonstrated the effectiveness of a recently developed computer model in predicting key information about nasal insulin treatment regimens in type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. Development of the software, the Type 1 Diabetes PhysioLab® Platform, was funded through the peer-reviewed grant program of the American Diabetes Association.

Released: 24-Feb-2011 10:00 AM EST
La Jolla Institute-Led Team Illuminates Molecular Pathway Key to Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A research team, led by La Jolla Institute scientist Joel Linden, Ph.D., has shed new light on the problem of insulin resistance, and identified the key participants in a molecular pathway that holds therapeutic promise for reducing the severity of type 2 diabetes.

Released: 18-Apr-2011 9:00 AM EDT
Scientist Identifies New Therapeutic Target for Asthma, COPD and Other Lung Disorders
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Michael Croft, Ph.D., a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has discovered a molecule’s previously unknown role as a major trigger for airway remodeling, which impairs lung function, making the molecule a promising therapeutic target for chronic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and several other lung conditions. A scientific paper on Dr. Croft’s finding was published online today in the prestigious journal, Nature Medicine.

11-Aug-2011 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Opens Major RNAi Center for Identyfing Genetic Triggers of Disease
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A major Center that will propel scientific efforts to pinpoint the specific genes involved in causing immune diseases, cancer and other diseases will be opened today at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. Utilizing a Nobel prize-winning technology known as RNA interference (RNAi), the Institute’s new RNAi Center will be a catalyst for accelerating discovery toward new therapies against myriad diseases, and is one of a small, select group of dedicated RNAi facilities worldwide.

29-Sep-2011 3:30 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Previously Unknown Cell Interaction Key in Immune System Attacks
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Most of the time, the immune system is the body’s protector. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system does an about face, turning on the body and attacking normal cells. A major discovery by La Jolla Institute scientist Amnon Altman, Ph.D., and his colleagues, of a previously unknown molecular interaction that is essential for T lymphocyte activation, could have major implications for stopping this aberrant immune system behavior and the accompanying undesirable immune responses that cause autoimmune diseases and allergies.

Released: 3-Oct-2011 7:00 AM EDT
Researchers Discover Novel Mechanism for Preventing Infection via Body’s Mucosal Borders
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have identified a previously unknown mechanism that generates protective immune memory cells to fight recurring infections at the body’s mucosal linings – which include the mouth, the intestines, the lungs and other areas. These are the main entry points for many viruses and other infectious organisms.

Released: 27-Oct-2011 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Joins Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has become the fifth organization in the prestigious Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, joining colleagues from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Scripps Research Institute, University of California, San Diego and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in the first-of-its-kind multi-institutional stem cell research collaboration.

Released: 2-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
La Jolla Institute Researchers Provide World’s First View of Type 1 Diabetes As-It-Unfolds
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A war is being waged in the pancreases of millions of people throughout the world. The siege leads to the development of type 1 diabetes and has been a battlefield largely hidden from view-- until now. Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have created the first cellular movies showing the destruction underlying type 1 diabetes in real-time in mouse models. This detailed, dynamic view will provide the worldwide scientific community insights into this disease process as never before possible and may profoundly affect future directions in type 1 diabetes research.

Released: 2-Dec-2011 9:00 AM EST
Researchers Find New Molecular Candidates For Treatment of Asthma and Allergies
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology scientists have identified the histamine releasing factor (HRF) molecule as a promising target for developing new treatments for a number of allergic reactions including asthma.

Released: 23-Jan-2012 6:00 AM EST
La Jolla Institute Scientist Takes Quest to Conquer Type 1 Diabetes to the Next Level
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute scientist Matthias von Herrath, M.D., a world leader in basic research on type 1 diabetes, has long dreamed of seeing his discoveries translated into new therapies to better treat this serious and chronic disorder. Dr. von Herrath may soon get his chance as head of a new translational type 1 diabetes center to be opened in Seattle in 2012 by Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company specializing in diabetes care. Dr. von Herrath will continue to lead his vibrant and renowned research program at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology on a part-time basis.

Released: 29-May-2012 11:45 AM EDT
Discovery Could Lead to New Way to Screen Drugs for Adverse Reactions Before Their Use in Man
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Adverse drug reactions are a major issue that cause harm, are costly and restrict treatment options for patients and the development of new drugs. A groundbreaking finding by researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology could lead to a new way to dramatically improve drug safety by identifying drugs at risk to cause potentially fatal genetic-linked hypersensitivity reactions before their use in man.

Released: 5-Jun-2012 3:30 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute’s Shane Crotty Receives Prestigious Award for Early-Career Scientists
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Shane Crotty, Ph.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has been selected for the prestigious Biosciences Investigator Award in recognition of his groundbreaking work in vaccine research. The award is presented annually by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) and recognizes early-career investigators for outstanding research contributions to the field of immunology.

29-Jun-2012 5:45 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Scientist Discovers Key Step in Immune System-Fueled Inflammation
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Like detectives seeking footprints and other clues on a television “whodunit,” science can also benefit from analyzing the tracks of important players in the body’s molecular landscape. Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has done just that and illuminated a key step in the journey of inflammation-producing immune cells. The finding provides powerful, previously unknown information about critical biological mechanisms underlying heart disease and many other disorders.

13-Jul-2012 12:30 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Identifies Critical Cell in Fighting E. coli Infection
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Despite ongoing public health efforts, E. coli outbreaks continue to infiltrate the food supply, annually causing significant sickness and death throughout the world. But the research community is gaining ground. In a major finding, published today in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have discovered a molecule’s previously unknown role in fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections, a discovery that could lead to new ways to protect people from these dangerous microorganisms.

Released: 14-Aug-2012 8:05 AM EDT
A Vaccine for Heart Disease? La Jolla Institute Discovery Points Up This Possibility
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have identified the specific type of immune cells (CD4 T cells) that orchestrate the inflammatory attack on the artery wall, which is a major contributor to plaque buildup in heart disease. Further, the researchers discovered that these immune cells are launching their attack in response to normal proteins that the body mistakes as being foreign, an autoimmune type response, which points up the possibility of developing a tolerogenic vaccine for heart disease.

Released: 27-Sep-2012 11:30 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Wins $22 Million Contract Renewal for Innovative Worldwide Research Tool
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The ability to “see the forest for the trees” is a powerful concept in this age of information overload, a factor acutely evident in the research field, where thousands of scientific discoveries are published each year. But thanks to a major federal contract renewal and the inventive minds at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, researchers around the world will soon have an enhanced resource for mining precious information nuggets critical to combating infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergies and other immune-mediated diseases.

18-Jan-2013 5:00 PM EST
La Jolla Institute Identifies Molecular Switch Enabling Immune Cells to Better Fight Disease
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has discovered the mechanism that enables CD4 helper T cells to assume the more aggressive role of killer T cells in mounting an immune attack against viruses, cancerous tumors and other damaged or infected cells. The finding, made in collaboration with researchers from the RIKEN Institute in Japan, could enable the development of more potent drugs for AIDS, cancer and many other diseases based on using this mechanism to trigger larger armies of killer T cells against infected or damaged cells.

12-Mar-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Researchers Advance Fight Against Leading Infectious Cause of Congenital Birth Defects
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A virus most people probably have never heard of, but that the majority of us carry, is the No. 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects in the U.S. today. Because of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, 1 in 750 children are born with or develop permanent disabilities. But efforts to develop a CMV vaccine are gaining ground. Researchers from the La Jolla Institute and Cardiff University have discovered a cellular mechanism that could prove critical in creating a CMV vaccine.

Released: 15-Apr-2013 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute’s Surprising Finding Could Alter the Face of Dengue Vaccine Development
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

As efforts to create a strong and effective vaccine for the dreaded dengue virus continue to hit snags, a new study from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology offers surprising evidence that suggests the need for a revamped approach to dengue vaccine design. The finding runs counter to current scientific understanding of the key cells that need to be induced to develop a successful dengue vaccine.

11-Jun-2013 3:00 PM EDT
New Sickle Cell Anemia Therapy Advances to Phase II Clinical Trials
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Seeking to improve the lives of sickle cell anemia sufferers around the world, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, the Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston and the BloodCenter of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and others are preparing to launch Phase II of a clinical trial to investigate a potential new therapy for reducing the disorder’s severest symptoms. More than 100,000 Americans and several million people worldwide suffer from this genetic disorder.

21-Jun-2013 4:25 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Discovers New Player Critical to Unleashing T Cells Against Disease
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A major study from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology provides new revelations about the intricate pathways involved in turning on T cells, the body’s most important disease-fighting cells, and was published today in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. The La Jolla Institute team is the first to prove that a certain type of protein, called septins, play an essential role in T cell activation.

Released: 17-Jul-2013 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Elects Esteemed Optometry Industry Leader to Board of Directors
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Herbert A. Wertheim, O.D., D.Sc., M.D. (hc), a noted inventor, philanthropist, and optometric and visual science industry pioneer, has been elected to La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology’s Board of Directors.

30-Jul-2013 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Continues Longtime Collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin California
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and Kyowa Hakko Kirin California, Inc. (KKC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (KHK), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the signing of a new agreement that marks another milestone in one of the most enduring industry-academic collaborations in the world.

Released: 8-Aug-2013 8:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Ranks Number One in World’s “Best Places to Work” in Science
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology has earned the Number 1 ranking in The Scientist magazine’s 2013 “Best Places to Work in Academia” survey of the worldwide academic research community.

10-Sep-2013 6:25 PM EDT
Scientist Identifies Helper Cells That Trigger Potent Responses to HIV
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A major new finding that will significantly advance efforts to create the world’s first antibody-based AIDS vaccine was published today by researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.

Released: 9-Jan-2014 12:00 PM EST
La Jolla Institute Scientist Identifies Pivotal Cellular Protein Underlying Eczema
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology have revealed a critical player in the cellular interactions leading to eczema – a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting more than 14 million U.S. children and adults.

3-Apr-2014 3:00 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Discovers New Mechanism for Unleashing Immune System Against Cancer
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

A major discovery that brings a new drug target to the increasingly exciting landscape of cancer immunotherapy was published yesterday by researchers from La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and their collaborators from other institutes.

Released: 17-Jun-2014 6:00 AM EDT
La Jolla Institute Advances Research Toward World’s First Vaccine for Heart Disease
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Research toward the world’s first vaccine for heart disease continues to advance at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, with researchers demonstrating significant arterial plaque reduction in concept testing in mice.

Released: 8-Jul-2014 3:10 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Develops New Approach to Identify Genes Poised to Respond in Asthma Patients
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

In a study published yesterday in the scientific journal Nature Immunology, a group at the La Jolla Institute (LJI) led by Pandurangan Vijayanand, Ph.D. identify new genes that likely contribute to asthma, a disease that currently affects over 200 million people world wide.

Released: 9-Jan-2015 8:15 AM EST
La Jolla Institute Scientist Receives $1.6 Million Research Grant From American Diabetes Association
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has awarded La Jolla Institute (LJI) researcher Stephanie Stanford, Ph.D., a $1.6 million grant to investigate the genetic and environmental factors that trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Released: 12-Feb-2015 4:00 PM EST
The Company You Keep
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

When fighting chronic viral infections or cancers, a key division of the immune system, known as CD8 T cells, sometimes loses its ability to effectively fight foreign invaders. Overcoming so-called T cell exhaustion is crucial to treating persistent infections but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.

17-May-2015 7:00 PM EDT
La Jolla Institute Scientists Reveal Potential New Drug Target for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, in collaboration with colleagues the University of California, San Diego, identified a novel drug target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that focuses on the cells that are directly responsible for the cartilage damage in affected joints.

Released: 16-Jun-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Keeping a Lid on Inflammation
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Although critically important for shaping the immune response and maintaining self-tolerance, how regulatory T cells (Treg cells) hold on to their immune-suppressive powers had remained unclear. Now, for the first time, researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology identified a molecular pathway that maintains the stability and function of Treg cells.

Released: 30-Jul-2015 4:05 PM EDT
How to Become a T Follicular Helper Cell
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Follicular helper Tcells (TFH cells), a rare type of immune cell that is essential for inducing a strong and lasting antibody response to viruses and other microbes, have garnered intense interest in recent years but the molecular signals that drive their differentiation had remained unclear. Now, a team of researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology has identified a pair of master regulators that control the fate of TFH cells.

19-Oct-2015 4:05 PM EDT
A Subpopulation of White Blood Cells Guards Against Tumor Lung Metastasis
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Among foot soldiers on the immune front line is a subpopulation of white blood cells called “patrolling monocytes,” whose job is to cruise the bloodstream, cart off cellular debris, and block invasion of a less benign population of inflammatory cells. Now, a study from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LJI) illustrates that patrolling monocytes may also play an anti-cancer role, particularly in the lung.

28-Oct-2015 11:05 AM EDT
The Innate Immune System Modulates the Severity of Multiple Sclerosis
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Multiple sclerosis, a debilitating neurological disease, is triggered by self-reactive T cells that successfully infiltrate the brain and spinal cord where they launch an aggressive autoimmune attack against myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers. In their latest study, published in the Nov. 2, 2015, advance online issue of Nature Immunology, researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology report that these disease-causing autoimmune T cells are lured into the nervous system by monocytes and macrophages, a subset of immune cells better known as the immune system’s cleanup crew.

Released: 6-Dec-2015 2:05 PM EST
Matchmaker Lets Calcium Flow
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The ebb and flow of intracellular calcium concentrations is a universal mode of communication in mammalian cells. Researchers at La Jolla Institute identified the matchmaker that brings two critical calcium channel components together, thus allowing calcium to rush into the fluid-filled space known as cytosol.

Released: 9-Dec-2015 11:05 AM EST
TET Proteins Help Maintain Genome Integrity
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Members of the TET (short for ten-eleven translocation) family have been known to function as tumor suppressors for many years, but how they keep a lid on the uncontrolled cell proliferation of cancer cells had remained uncertain. Now, researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology demonstrate that TET proteins collectively constitute a major class of tumor suppressors and are required to maintain genome instability.

Released: 10-Dec-2015 6:00 AM EST
HardTech Labs, La Jolla Institute Partner to Develop Health and Wellness Technology
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

HardTech Labs LLC (HTL) has partnered with La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LJI) to establish a joint venture, HTL Life, that will converge HTL’s existing focus on software and hardware with LJI’s expertise in life sciences to develop next generation technologies for human health and wellness.

Released: 17-Dec-2015 2:05 PM EST
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology Team Receives $18 Million Consortium Grant
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LJI) is pleased to announce that an international team led by LJI investigator Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., is one of four recipients of a Human Immune Profiling Consortium (HIPC) grant in 2015. With this prestigious grant, the LJI team will characterize the immune response to dengue virus (DENV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), both of which represent major global health challenges.


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