Autoimmune Diseases Information for Researchers

NIAID supports a broad range of basic, preclinical, and clinical research in autoimmune diseases. Research is focused on the immunologic basis of disease, including developing a greater understanding of the fundamental immunologic principles underlying disease onset and progression, developing improved animal models of disease, developing improved diagnostic tools, and identifying and evaluating more effective immune-based treatment and prevention strategies.

Through the information offered here, researchers can learn about the science being conducted at NIAID and by NIAID-funded researchers. Researchers seeking funding can access opportunities to further their own research, while NIAID and NIH grantees can find out about available resources outside of specific funding opportunities. Recent publications, active networks, and ways to connect with other researchers are also available.

Networks

NIAID encourages partnerships among other agencies and foundations, private industry, federal and local government and other organizations with similar goals to help build and sustain research infrastructure and to translate and implement research findings as public health practices.

Read more about NIAID-supported collaborations and partnerships that further autoimmune disease research

The AMP AIM Program 

NIAID supports the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases (AMP® AIM) program, which launched in 2021 to deepen understanding of the cellular and molecular interactions that lead to inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

Read more about the AMP AIM Program

Resources for Researchers

NIAID offers resources to advance science from basic research through advanced clinical evaluation, with the goal of developing new and improved products such as diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. 

Read more about resources for autoimmune disease researchers

NIH Targeted Delivery Interest Group (TDIG) Past Webinars

Neeltje van Doremalen, Ph.D.

Section or Unit Name
Mucosal Immunology and Virology Unit (MIVU)
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Section/Unit: Year Established
Section/Unit: Location
Hamilton, MT
This Researcher/Clinician’s Person Page
Neeltje van Doremalen, Ph.D.
Parent Lab/Program
Laboratory of Virology
Program Description

Our lab is dedicated to understanding the unique role of the mucosal immune system in protecting the respiratory tract against viral infections. Unlike the systemic immune system, the mucosal immune system acts as the first line of defense at critical surfaces such as the respiratory tract, gut, and reproductive organs. Key players in this defense include tissue-resident memory T cells and secretory IgA, which operate independently of systemic responses. We aim to unravel how mucosal immunity is induced and how it provides protection against respiratory viruses, particularly in the context of infections in the upper and lower respiratory tracts.

We investigate the immune responses elicited by respiratory viruses such as influenza A viruses and coronaviruses, focusing on both mucosal and systemic adaptive immunity. Using rodent models, we study the humoral and cellular responses elicited by different infection routes and analyze the role of innate immunity in shaping adaptive responses. By leveraging techniques like high dimensional flow cytometry, systems serology, deep mutational scanning, single-cell transcriptomics, and multiplex imaging, we gain spatial and temporal insights into immune responses across critical tissues, including the nasal-associated lymphoid tissue, nasal turbinates, lungs, and lymph nodes. These studies enable us to map mucosal immunity comprehensively and identify the breadth and depth required for protection upon rechallenge.

We additionally aim to identify correlates of protection and optimize vaccine strategies to induce robust mucosal immunity. We evaluate diverse vaccine platforms—including mRNA, vectored, and subunit vaccines—administered via various routes, such as intranasal, intramuscular, and inhalation. By comparing vaccine technologies and regimens, we aim to establish principles for designing universal vaccines capable of inducing broad, durable mucosal immune responses. Ultimately, our goal is to provide foundational insights that improve vaccine design and our understanding of protective mechanisms against respiratory viruses.

Immunohistochemistry staining of nasal-associated lymphoid tissues (NALT). The upper panels show CD3 (yellow, marking T cells) and PAX5 (teal, marking B cells). The lower panels depict Ki67 (purple, marking proliferating cells).

Immunohistochemistry staining of nasal-associated lymphoid tissues (NALT). The upper panels show CD3 (yellow, marking T cells) and PAX5 (teal, marking B cells). The lower panels depict Ki67 (purple, marking proliferating cells). Samples were collected at various time points following intranasal vaccination of mice with a replication-incompetent adenovirus vaccine. Acknowledgements: Reshma K. Mukesh, Carl Shaia, Jessy Prado-Smith.

Credit: NIAID
Immunohistochemistry staining of nasal turbinates and NALT tissues with CD3 (brown), highlighting the migration of T cells into these regions.

Immunohistochemistry staining of nasal turbinates and NALT tissues with CD3 (brown), highlighting the migration of T cells into these regions. Samples were collected at various time points after intranasal vaccination of mice with a replication-incompetent adenovirus vaccine. Acknowledgements: Reshma K. Mukesh, Carl Shaia, Jessy Prado-Smith.

Credit: NIAID
Selected Publications

Cohen AA, van Doremalen N, Greaney AJ, Andersen H, Sharma A, Starr TN, Keeffe JR, Fan C, Schulz JE, Gnanapragasam PNP, Kakutani LM, West AP Jr, Saturday G, Lee YE, Gao H, Jette CA, Lewis MG, Tan TK, Townsend AR, Bloom JD, Munster VJ, Bjorkman PJ. Mosaic RBD nanoparticles protect against challenge by diverse sarbecoviruses in animal models. Science. 2022 Aug 5;377(6606):eabq0839.

van Doremalen N, Purushotham JN, Schulz JE, Holbrook MG, Bushmaker T, Carmody A, Port JR, Yinda CK, Okumura A, Saturday G, Amanat F, Krammer F, Hanley PW, Smith BJ, Lovaglio J, Anzick SL, Barbian K, Martens C, Gilbert SC, Lambe T, Munster VJ. Intranasal ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 vaccination reduces viral shedding after SARS-CoV-2 D614G challenge in preclinical models. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Aug 18;13(607):eabh0755.

Holbrook MG, Anthony SJ, Navarrete-Macias I, Bestebroer T, Munster VJ, van Doremalen N. Updated and Validated Pan-Coronavirus PCR Assay to Detect All Coronavirus Genera. Viruses. 2021 Apr 1;13(4):599.

van Doremalen N, Lambe T, Spencer A, Belij-Rammerstorfer S, Purushotham JN, Port JR, Avanzato VA, Bushmaker T, Flaxman A, Ulaszewska M, Feldmann F, Allen ER, Sharpe H, Schulz J, Holbrook M, Okumura A, Meade-White K, Pérez-Pérez L, Edwards NJ, Wright D, Bissett C, Gilbride C, Williamson BN, Rosenke R, Long D, Ishwarbhai A, Kailath R, Rose L, Morris S, Powers C, Lovaglio J, Hanley PW, Scott D, Saturday G, de Wit E, Gilbert SC, Munster VJ. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine prevents SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in rhesus macaques. Nature. 2020 Oct;586(7830):578-582.

Folegatti PM, Ewer KJ, Aley PK, Angus B, Becker S, Belij-Rammerstorfer S, Bellamy D, Bibi S, Bittaye M, Clutterbuck EA, Dold C, Faust SN, Finn A, Flaxman AL, Hallis B, Heath P, Jenkin D, Lazarus R, Makinson R, Minassian AM, Pollock KM, Ramasamy M, Robinson H, Snape M, Tarrant R, Voysey M, Green C, Douglas AD, Hill AVS, Lambe T, Gilbert SC, Pollard AJ; Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group. Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2020 Aug 15;396(10249):467-478.

van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, Holbrook MG, Gamble A, Williamson BN, Tamin A, Harcourt JL, Thornburg NJ, Gerber SI, Lloyd-Smith JO, de Wit E, Munster VJ. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020 Apr 16;382(16):1564-1567.

Visit PubMed for a complete publication listing.

Additional Information

Additional Information

Major Areas of Research
  • Understanding mucosal immunity induced by respiratory virus infections and mucosal vaccination
  • Identifying correlates of protection against respiratory virus infections
  • Utilize this knowledge to design improved vaccines

NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (MSPP)—Guidance for Applicants

Awarded Data Science Projects

NIAID has awarded multiple projects for data science research, training, and technology development. Awarded projects from across NIAID will be added on an ongoing basis. The list is coordinated by the Office of Data Science and Emerging Technologies (ODSET). 

Tuberculosis Research Unit at Weill Cornell Medical College

Tuberculosis Research Unit at University of Washington

Tuberculosis Research Unit at Rutgers

Tuberculosis Research Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Olga L. Franco Mahecha, D.V.M., MSc., Ph.D.

Section or Unit Name
Laboratory of Animal Medicine Section
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Section/Unit: Location
NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD
This Researcher/Clinician’s Person Page
Olga L. Franco Mahecha, D.V.M., MSc., Ph.D.
Parent Lab/Program
Comparative Medicine Branch
Selected Publications

Franco-Mahecha OL, Carrasco SE. Hepatic steatosis, a lesion reported in captive aged common marmosets. Aging Pathobiol Ther. 2021;3(1):14-16.

Heine SJ, Franco-Mahecha OL, Sears KT, Drachenberg CB, van Roosmalen ML, Leenhouts K, Picking WL, Pasetti MF. A Combined YopB and LcrV Subunit Vaccine Elicits Protective Immunity against Yersinia Infection in Adult and Infant Mice. J Immunol. 2019 Apr 1;202(7):2005-2016.

Cardoso N, Franco-Mahecha OL, Czepluch W, Quintana ME, Malacari DA, Trotta MV, Mansilla FC, Capozzo AV. Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Infects Monocyte-Derived Bovine Dendritic Cells by an E2-Glycoprotein-Mediated Mechanism and Transiently Impairs Antigen Presentation. Viral Immunol. 2016 Sep;29(7):417-29.

Heine SJ, Franco-Mahecha OL, Chen X, Choudhari S, Blackwelder WC, van Roosmalen ML, Leenhouts K, Picking WL, Pasetti MF. Shigella IpaB and IpaD displayed on L. lactis bacterium-like particles induce protective immunity in adult and infant mice. Immunol Cell Biol. 2015 Aug;93(7):641-52.

Mansilla FC, Franco-Mahecha OL, Lavoria MÁ, Moore DP, Giraldez AN, Iglesias ME, Wilda M, Capozzo AV. The immune enhancement of a novel soy lecithin/β-glucans based adjuvant on native Neospora caninum tachyzoite extract vaccine in mice. Vaccine. 2012 Feb 1;30(6):1124-31.

Franco Mahecha OL, Ogas Castells ML, Combessies G, Lavoria MA, Wilda M, Mansilla FC, Seki C, Grigera PR, Capozzo AV. Single dilution Avidity-Blocking ELISA as an alternative to the Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus neutralization test. J Virol Methods. 2011 Aug;175(2):228-35.

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