Daniel Rotrosen, M.D.
Acting Director, DAIT
Ms. Joan Effiom and Ms. Yvette Hudyma have joined the staff of the Office of Program Planning, Operations and Scientific Information, DAIT. They will be providing support for a variety of Division-wide activities. Dr. Janet Connolly, former Chief of the Genetics Section in the Division’s Genetics and Transplantation Branch has returned to Washington University to resume her career in academic research.
Dr. Rotrosen announced the following active research initiatives:
- PA-98-013: The Generation and Maintenance of Immunological Memory
- PA-97-101: Basic Mechanisms of Vaccine Efficacy
- PA-97-100: Regulation of the Immune Response
- PA-97-099: Genes and Mechanisms Underlying Primary Immunodeficiency
- PA-97-098: Autoimmunity: Genetics, Mechanisms, and Signaling
- PA-97-091: Immunologic Basis of Food Allergy
- PA-97-090: Three-Dimensional Structures of Immunological Proteins
- PA-97-089: Mechanisms of the Immune Response to Zenotransplant Antigens
- PA-97-081: Basic and Clinical Research on Immune Tolerance
- PA-97-079: Innate Immunity
- PA-97-078: Inflammation in Asthma and Allergy
- PA-97-077: Minor Histocompatibility Antigens in GVHD and Graft Rejection
- PA-97-076: Immunological Aspects of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
- PA-97-075: Direct VS Indirect Antigen Recognition in Allograft Survival
- PA-97-073: Mucosal Immunity in Pathogenesis/Prevention of Human Disease
- PA-97-010: NIAID/ASTP Minority Fellowship in Transplantation
- PA-96-053: Gender in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmunity: Mechanisms
- PA-96-051: The Role of Microbes in Autoimmune and Immune-mediated Diseases
- PA-94-062: Environmental Agents and Asthma
- RFA HL-97-010: Role of Respiratory Infection in Childhood Asthma; cosponsored by NIAID
- RFA-DK-98-007: Cellular and Molecular Approaches to Achieving Euglycemia; cosponsored NIAID
- RFA-DK-98-010: The Immunopathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus; cosponsored by NIAID
Dr. Rotrosen related the following scientific activities:
Occupational Asthma Conference: NIAID will cosponsor a conference, organized by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health entitled "Occupational Asthma: In an Out of the Work Place, " April 30-May 2, 1998. The meeting will discuss basic mechanisms of occupational asthma and identify research opportunities.
New York Academy of Medicine Meeting: NIAID is participating in a meeting entitled "Asthma Conference: Working Together to Combat Urban Asthma," at the New York Academy of Medicine, May 4-5, 1998. The meeting is to propose actions to control asthma in New York City.
Particulate Matter Research: NIAID participated in two meetings sponsored by the EPA, in September and November. The purpose of these meetings is to provide Inter-Agency representation in the development of a federal Particulate Matter Research Program.
U.S.-Japan Immunology Board Meeting: The 15th Annual Meeting of the U.S.-Japan Immunology Board was organized by Dr. Helen Quill, Chief, Basic Immunology Branch, and was held on October 9 and 10, 1997 on the NIH campus. It consisted of an open symposium of scientific presentations delivered by the Board members and invited intramural scientists. The five year review of the Board was conducted at this meeting.
Workshop on Advancing Immunology Research Through Technology: The purpose of this workshop was to provide a forum for basic immunologists to interact with prominent bioengineers and discuss innovations in technology that are applicable to immunology research. The workshop was organized by Dr. Vicki Seyfert, Chief of Immunoregulation Section of the Basic Immunology Branch, and was held in Washington, DC on September 24, 1997.
Xenotransplantation: In July, the NIAID organized a meeting in Bethesda entitled "Cross-species Infectivity and Pathogenesis" which assembled research leaders in virology and zoonosis to present the latest information on the ability of non-human infectious agents to infect humans. A second workshop, entitled "Developing Public Health Policy in Xenotransplantation," was held on January 21-22, 1998. This meeting assembled international experts and health policy experts to examine current perspectives in xenotransplantation and explore the ongoing revisions to the FDA guidelines.
New Primary Immunodeficiency Disease Registry: NIAID has selected the Immune Deficiency Foundation of Towson, MD to establish and maintain a registry of clinical information on U.S. residents affected by primary immunodeficiency diseases. This project is based on the success of the existing registry for Chronic Granulomatous Disease and recommendations of a workshop which was convened by NIAID and the NIH Office of Rare Diseases.
Ad hoc Council members and guests presented their current research efforts on innovative scientific approaches for the study of cellular and molecular process: Moderator, Dr. Vicki Seyfert, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Chief of Immunoregulation Section of the Basic Immunology Branch DAIT introduced speakers and topics: Dr. Mark Davis, Stanford University: Antigen Specific Staining of T cells to Follow In Vivo T Cell Responses; Dr. Linda Griffith, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: In Vitro Organogenesis of Three Dimensional Vascularized Tissues; Dr. Scott Fraser, California Institute of Technology: Imaging of Cell Lineage’s In Vivo; Dr. Lisa Steiner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Zebrafish as a Model System for Studying Immune System Development. back to top |