Leaders in immunology research from around the U.S. comprise our Scientific Advisory Board, which provides expert counsel to IMMCG’s leadership to guide the growth and evolution of the center.
The 2023-24 board is comprised of:
Jane Buckner, MD
President, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
Member, Center for Translational Immunology, BRI
Mark Davis, PhD
Director, Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation & Infection
Burt and Marion Avery Family Professor, Stanford University
Dr. Davis identified and cloned the T cell receptor (TCR), a highly polymorphic αβ heterodimer with enormous diversity. Billions of different αβ TCRs are generated by recombination of short segments of DNA (V, D, J) that enable precisely targeted immune responses.
Marc Jenkins, PhD
Regents & Distinguished McKnight University Professor,
Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota
Dr. Jenkins is a leader in CD4 T cell biology. Using MHC-II tetramers, he was among the first to identify epitope-specific CD4 T cells, the conductors of the immune system. Dr. Jenkins also identified some of the mechanisms that regulate the immune response to self antigens.
Mariana J. Kaplan, MD
Deputy Scientific Director, Systemic Autoimmunity Branch, NIAMS, NIH
Dr. Kaplan is an NIH Distinguished Investigator studying autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), more commonly referred to as "lupus." In lupus, neutrophils provide a source for many of the relevant autoantigens driving disease progression.
Mitch Kronenberg, PhD
Professor and President Emeritus, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Dr. Kronenberg is a leader in studying innate-like T cells and his laboratory identified several glycolipid antigens from bacteria that activate natural killer T cells to prevent infections. The lab also studies the regulation of the mucosal immune system and the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease.
The counsel and guidance provided by the Scientific Advisory Board members takes several forms:
