Advisors
Jack L. Strominger, MD
Higgins Professor of Biochemistry,
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Dr. Strominger is an internationally recognized authority on immunology and autoimmune diseases. He currently holds the Higgins Professorship of Biochemistry in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Strominger, with Dr. Don Wiley, elucidated the basic molecular structure of the Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I and II molecules, for which they received the Albert Lasker Award in Basic Medical Research in 1995 and the Japan prize in 1999. He has authored or co-authored over 850 publications and is an inventor on ten patents or patent applications.
Lawrence Steinman, MD
Chairman, Stanford University Program in Immunology
Professor, Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Pediatrics and Genetics
As a professor in Stanford University's Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Pediatrics and Genetics, Dr. Steinman chairs the university's program in immunology. Since joining the faculty in 1980 his research has produced over 300 publications. Dr. Steinman's inventive efforts have led to multiple issued patents disclosing technologies ranging from peptide to DNA-based therapies for immune intervention in the context of autoimmunity. His work has led to honors, including the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research, and the Senator Jacob Javits Award. Dr. Steinman earned his medical degree from Harvard University, and completed a fellowship in chemical immunology at Weizmann Institute, Rehovot Israel.
Hidde L. Ploegh, PhD
Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Member, Whitehead Institute
Dr. Ploegh is a professor of biology at MIT and a member of the prestigious Whitehead Institute. Dr. Ploegh's research interests are focused on molecular immunology, and more specifically, the cell biology of antigen processing and presentation and the analysis of intracellular trafficking of the products of the Major Histocompatibility Complex. Dr. Ploegh serves on the editorial boards of several publications including Nature, Immunity, Journal of Experimental Medicine, European Journal of Immunology, EMBO Journal, Trends in Cell Biology, and Molecular Immunology.
Christophe Benoist, PhD, MD
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School;
Head, Immunology and Immunogenetics, Joslin Diabetes Center
A molecular immunologist by training (Strasbourg, France; Stanford, CA), Dr. Benoist has directed one of the leading laboratories investigating the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In 1999, Dr. Benoist moved to the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. Currently, Dr. Benoist is head of the section on Immunology and Immunogenetics at Joslin Diabetes Center, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is holder of the William T. Young Chair in Diabetes Research.
Diane Mathis, PhD
Head, Immunology and Immunogenetics, Joslin Diabetes Center;
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Diane Mathis is an internationally renowned immunologist whose research focuses on T-cell differentiation and autoimmunity in particular animal models of Type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. She is currently a senior investigator and head of the section on Immunology and Immunogenetics at the Joslin Diabetes Center, a professor in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and holder of the William T. Young Chair in Diabetes Research. Dr. Mathis has served on a number of editorial boards (including Science, Cell,and Immunity) and scientific advisory boards, including the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI–Melbourne), the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME), l’Institut Pasteur (Paris), and the Riken Institute (Yokohama).
