Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR): Immunology, Dendritic Cells, Cancer Vaccines, Autoimmune Diseases, Infectious Diseases

The Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) is among the top immunological basic science research centers in the world. Scientists at BIIR most particularly concentrate their efforts on the study of dendritic cells, rare cells that turn on and regulate immune responses with the goal of bringing relief to diseases involving the immune system. More

Cancer Vaccines: We have demonstrated that vaccination with tumor antigen-loaded DCs may lead to induction of therapeutic immunity in patients with metastatic melanoma.
Watch an interview with the first recipient of our cancer vaccine.
A video describing the steps in vaccine development can be viewed here.

Autoimmune Diseases: Our studies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) revealed a fundamental role of IFN alpha in disease pathogenesis leading to novel therapeutic approaches.

Children with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) often do not respond to conventional treatments for other types of arthritis. We identified interleukin-1 (IL-1) overexpression as a key factor in SoJIA symptoms. An IL-1 blocker successfully treated these children. View a video of one family's experience here.

Infectious Diseases: We aim at the generation of improved vaccines against infectious agents. In that context, our studies were first supported by a large DARPA contract.

Organ Transplantation: At BIIR, we are seeking ways to make the recipient's immune system tolerate / accept the engrafted organ and improve the prognosis for organ transplant patients. This includes working to identify genetic determinants that can be used to minimize the dependence on anti rejection drugs. Jacques Banchereau, Ph.D., Director of BIIR, holds the W. W. Caruth, Jr. Chair in Organ Transplantation Immunology.

Ralph Steinman, M.D., of the Rockefeller University was awarded the prestigious 2007 Lasker Medical Research Award for his discovery of dendritic cells. Dr. Steinman spoke at Baylor to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) only days after the 2007 Lasker Awards were announced. BIIR and Dr. Steinman have collaborated on numerous projects involving dendritic cells. Watch Dr. Steinman's presentation, entitled "Dendritic Cells and Vaccines". View Windows Media or Quicktime version.

The 4th Annual Baylor Symposium and Workshop on Human Immunology and Biodefense was held on November 3 & 4, 2007. Watch the videos from the symposium.

For abstracts and videos from our previous symposia, click here.

The Baylor Center for Lupus Research was established in July 2006 when Baylor Research Institute received a $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), one of the National Institutes of Health.

The First Annual Baylor Symposium on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus was held on January 19, 2008. Each Symposium was dedicated to a specific topic on Lupus Erythematosus and a specific topic on Human Immunology.

Watch Videos online.