Scripps Research Earns $22.5M Grant to Continue Immune System Research

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute announced today that a $22.5 million grant will allow them to continue investigating the inner workings of the immune system for the next five years.   

The grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health, which has funded the research for the past 10 years.   

“Since the initiative began 10 years ago, the consortium has made seminal contributions to the field,” said Richard Ulevitch, a professor and chairman emeritus at TSRI. “Now, thanks to the new funding, there are more discoveries to come.”   

Ulevitch said his team uses a broad approach when studying the immune system. Instead of examining one gene or one protein, they look at multiple genes, proteins and biochemical pathways to understand immune response as a whole.   

The group, which includes scientists at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Australian National University and Stanford University, is currently studying the connection between the body's two layers of defense against disease, Ulevitch said.   

Innate immunity tries to ward off invading cells through inflammation, while adaptive immunity calls on antibodies and other cells to kill the offending microorganisms.

–City News Service