Immunology Institute Pilot Project Program
The UAB HSOM Immunology Institute serves as a central focal point for coordinating immunologic research, which by its very nature is spread across multiple disciplines including microbiology, infectious disease, cell biology, transplantation, pediatric and adult medicine, rheumatology, oncology, pathology, and many others. Major goals of the Immunology Institute are to foster cross-disciplinary science and to facilitate collaborations between the clinicians who bring immune-modifying therapies to their patients and the basic researchers who elucidate the fundamental principles of the immune system and use this knowledge to drive discovery to improve human health.
Immunology-focused researchers and clinicians at UAB actively explore the power of the immune system to treat and prevent infectious disease, transplant organ rejection, autoimmunity, allergy, cancer, and numerous inflammatory-based conditions including neurologic, renal, and cardiac diseases. The UAB HSOM Immunology Institute is soliciting applications from UAB investigators seeking support of immunology-focused studies. We seek applications to foster multi-disciplinary collaborations, especially between UAB clinicians, basic and physician scientists. Studies on the following would be considered responsive, but not exclusive, to this funding opportunity:
• Studies on the innate, adaptive and mucosal immune responses to infection, vaccination and adjuvants
• Studies on immune-mediated diseases (e.g. airway allergy, food allergy, autoimmunity, organ transplant rejection)
• Studies on fundamental basic immunology
Special considerations: Special consideration will be provided to Early Stage investigators (ESI, please see NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative policies), and investigators who are relatively new to immunology research (i.e., established investigators proposing a new area of research). Collaborative projects working across two or more laboratories, bringing together complimentary disciplines, will be given special consideration.
Proposals may not propose stand alone clinical trials (i.e. clinical studies testing novel interventions in humans, or using licensed interventions in a manner different from the conditions described in the intervention product’s label), however, the use of samples obtained from human subjects in clinical trials funded through independent mechanisms is allowed.
Project Applicant must hold a faculty position at UAB
Project Applicant must be a member of the Immunology Institute. If not already a member, please join today.
Pilot Project Awardees
Cooperative Centers on Human Immunology (CCHI)
The Cooperative Centers on Human Immunology (CCHI) were awarded in response to RFA-AI-17-040 to support studies that will advance our understanding of the mechanisms regulating human immune response. The CCHI U19 mechanism supports mechanistic and hypothesis-testing studies to understand human immunity applicable to the biodefense effort; i.e. innate, adaptive and mucosal immune responses to infection, vaccination and adjuvants. Studies on immune-mediated diseases (e.g. airway allergy, food allergy, autoimmunity, organ transplant rejection) are also of interest, as these data will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the human immune system. The program supports the centralized infrastructure needed to promote and coordinate multi-disciplinary research in human immunology. Additional objectives are to promote public access to CCHI-supported data and metadata through public portals such as ImmPort, and develop new technologies to support human immunology research.