Immunology and Immunotherapies

Understanding of basic immunology is essential to unlock the underpinnings of hematologic disease. Likewise, immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment for patients and is rapidly being applied to non-malignant disease to improve outcomes. Emphasis on both basic immunology and applications of immunotherapy is central to improved care in hematologic diseases as fundamentals of immunology, including B/T cell and thymus function, has broad applications to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, transfusion medicine, cellular therapy, and novel immune based therapies.

• Delineate how immune cell development and function influence hematopoietic stem cell development, transplantation, transfusion medicine, and cellular therapy
• Identify biomarkers and mechanisms of disease risk, sensitivity and resistance, and novel combination therapies for blood diseases that incorporate immunotherapeutic modalities
• Delineate the role of immune function and altered immune recognition in malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases