[HAI Roster]

The Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune, and Immune-mediated Diseases study section reviews applications from basic, pre-clinical, and clinical investigators and involve the etiology, initiation, immunopathophysiology, prevention and treatment of diseases in which the immune system (innate and adaptive) is the major contributor. This includes autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivity and allergic diseases, asthma, primary and secondary states of immunodeficiency (non-AIDS), and inflammatory diseases.

Specific areas covered by HAI:

• Immune-mediated disease etiology, including genetic, developmental, hormonal, environmental factors (infectious and non-infectious) and lifestyle factors.
• Immune-mediated disease initiation, including activation of innate and antigen specific responses, cytokine regulation/polarization, regulatory cells and recruitment of inflammatory cells.
• Immune-mediated disease immunopathophysiology, including the balance of effector and regulatory factors and cells as well as mechanisms of tissue damage leading to chronicity, remission or relapse, and genetic and exogenous factors modulating disease expression.
• Immune-mediated diseases that arise as a consequence of aging.
• Immune-mediated disease treatment, including antigen specific and non-specific drug and biologic approaches to tolerance to self or foreign antigens including vaccination, gene therapy, peptide and altered ligand approaches as well as cell based approaches; development of biomarkers of disease and related activities, and outcome assessments in clinical studies; determinants of response to therapy.
• Immune-mediated disease prevention, including identification of at-risk populations, immuno-epidemiology of genetic and environmental factors, and interventions aimed at altering the immune response so as to modify or prevent disease expression.

Approaches include human studies, in vitro studies of patient materials, animal models, and genomic and proteomic approaches to immune-mediated disease questions. These would include structural studies of antigenicity of allergens and autoantigens and the interaction of the nervous and endocrine systems with the immune system in immune-mediated disease.

Examples of appropriate diseases reviewed by HAI are:

• Allergic diseases including those leading to anaphylaxis, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and allergic reactions to foods.
• Investigation of lung diseases including hypersensitivity, pneumonitis, and the immune, inflammatory, and allergic elements of asthma, including asthma occurring in the occupational setting.
• Autoimmune diseases such systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and anti-phospholipid syndrome.
• Inflammatory disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases, vasculitis (polyarteritis), and innate inflammatory disorders such as familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) & Behcet’s disease.
• Age-related changes in phenotype and function of T cells, B cells, and memory cells.
• Primary and secondary immunodeficiencies including damage to the immune system from exogenous agents.

HAI has the following shared interests within the IMM IRG:

• With Innate Immunity and Inflammation [III]: If the primary focus of an application is disease-specific inflammation or innate mucosal immune function, assignment may be to HAI. In addition, if the primary focus of immunodeficiencies is lymphocytes and other cells of the adaptive immune response, assignment may be to HAI. If the primary focus of an application is basic inflammation or innate immune function, assignment may be to III.
  
  
• With Immunity and Host Defense [IHD]: Applications dealing with inflammation of the lung and airway epithelium and with immunologic aspects of digestive sciences, including inflammatory bowel diseases, may be referred to HAI. Applications dealing with basic mucosal immunity and inflammation may be referred to IHD.
  
  
• With Cellular & Molecular Immunology A & B [CMIA & CMIB]: Studies of immune deficiencies not directly involved in defects of the lymphoid compartments may be assigned to HAI. Studies of specific gene polymorphisms altering the function of the immune system and leading to an autoimmune or inflammatory disease or to immunodeficiency may be referred to HAI. Studies of basic lymphocyte development and differentiation may be assigned to CMIA or CMIB. Cell signaling pertaining to immune disorders may be referred to HAI; whereas studies that focus on immune mechanisms may be referred to CMIA or CMIB.
  
  
• With Transplantation, Tolerance, and Tumor Immunology [TTT]: TTT shares an interest with HAI in the development of autoimmunity. TTT focuses on fundamental issues of tolerance such as repertoire selection and tolerance induction, while HAI focuses on specific autoimmune diseases even though immunotherapy, autoimmunity, tolerance, or bone marrow transplantation may be addressed.
  
  
• With Vaccines Against Microbial Diseases [VMD]: Studies of specific gene polymorphisms altering the function of the immune system may be reviewed by VMD. Studies of basic lymphocyte development and differentiation may be assigned to CMIA or CMIB.

HAI has the following shared interests outside the IMM IRG:

• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG: Shared interests include age-related changes in immunologic function. Studies focused on physiologic mechanisms of aging or on basic molecular and cellular aspect of aging, including T and B cell functions, could be assigned to BDA, particularly if relevant to multiple organs. Studies focused on specific immune mediated diseases could be assigned to HAI.
  
• With the Risk, Prevention and Health Behavior [RPHB] IRG: Disease etiologies including lifestyle factors are shared interests. When such studies focus primarily on behavioral effects they could be assigned to RPHB; when such studies focus primarily on immune effects they could be assigned to HAI.
  
• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] IRG: Interactions of behavioral stress, emotion, personality, sickness behavior, and psychopathology with the immune system are shared interests. When such studies focus primarily on behavioral effects they could be assigned to BBBP; when such studies focus primarily on immune effects they could be assigned to HAI.
  
• With the Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRG: Basic studies of tumor immunity and immune surveillance may be assigned to HAI. Translational studies that include the development and testing of immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment may be assigned to ONC.
  
• With the Cardiovascular Sciences [CVS] IRG: Interests are shared between HAI and CVS in the mechanism of vascular damage and interaction between immune cells and endothelium. While studies of vascular inflammation may generally be referred to CVS, studies directed at vascular aspects of specific immune-mediated diseases may be referred to HAI.
  
• With the Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences [EMNR] IRG: Studies of immunologic aspects of endocrine disease, including type I diabetes, are shared interests. When primarily directed at the immune processes involved, applications may be referred to HAI. When primarily directed at the endocrine processes involved, applications may be referred to EMNR. In addition, when the focus is nutrients or other dietary components and their influences on the immune system, applications may be referred to EMNR.
  
• With the Musculoskeletal, Oral, and Skin Sciences [MOSS] IRG: Studies of animal models and clinical aspects of diseases of joints and connective tissues, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s, vasculitis and other inflammatory disorders may be appropriately assigned to HAI when they address immunologic aspects of disease etiology, initiation, pathophysiology, treatment, or prevention. Studies of end organ damage in immune-mediated disease may be assigned to MOSS.
  
• With the Digestive Sciences [DIG] IRG: Shared interests are immunologic aspects of bowel disease including inflammatory bowel disease, gluten specific autoimmune gastritis, and other types of immune mediated gastrointestinal diseases. Applications where the focus is gastrointestinal physiology or pathology, including injury and inflammation, may be assigned to DIG. Those where the focus is basic or multi-organ aspects of the immune response or leukocyte biology may be assigned to HAI.
  
• With the Respiratory Sciences [RES] IRG: Studies of lung diseases, including asthma, may be assigned to RES when the focus is the respiratory system. Studies of lung diseases, including asthma, may be assigned to HAI when the focus is the immune system.
  
• With the Integrative, Functional, & Cognitive Neuroscience [IFCN] IRG: Studies in which neuroendocrines alter immune responses are shared between IFCN and HAI.   When nervous system mechanisms or pathology are the focus, the application may be assigned to IFCN.  When the focus of the study is the altered immune function, assignment may be to HAI. 
  
• With the Brain Disorders & Clinical Neuroscience [BDCN] IRG:  Interest in studies of the effects of nervous system damage on immune responses are shared between BDCN and HAI.  When nervous system damage is the focus of the study, assignment may be to BDCN.  When the focus of the study is on the alteration in immune response resulting from brain damage, assignment may be to HAI.