Overview

The Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapeutics Program at Mayo Clinic is dedicated to translational research on immune-mediated diseases. The program's goal is to expand the scope of clinical immunology from classical areas, including autoimmunity, allergy, transplantation and cancer immunotherapy, to emerging fields such as immunosenescence, microbial therapeutics and molecular immunology.

The program promotes collaborative research activities within the Department of Immunology, the Division of General Internal Medicine and across Mayo Clinic, along with other institutions and industry partners. The faculty consists of a diverse group of investigators who have immunology-related interests within their specialties.

The program's specific objectives to advance immunology research include:

  • Promote research in clinical immunology by providing research support for clinical immunology projects.
  • Bring together investigators with common interests, facilitating the exchange of ideas and resources and promoting synergy among investigators.
  • Provide resources and training grant opportunities for junior or new faculty members at Mayo Clinic who want to conduct research in the immunological sciences.
  • Foster collaborative projects with other programs within the Department of Internal Medicine, particularly programs focused on autoimmunity, cancer immunology, mucosal immunity, aging and immunovirology.
  • Seek opportunities to work together with other Mayo Clinic departments, including the departments of Immunology and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS)

FOCIS consists of 66 member societies and represents approximately 65,000 physician scientists.

It provides:

  • A scientific forum to foster the cross-disciplinary approaches required to understand and treat immune-based diseases as the discipline of clinical immunology evolves.
  • A better understanding of the shared pathophysiological underpinnings of clinical immunology and the new therapeutic approaches suggested by these novel relationships, including the increasingly widespread use of biologics in therapy.
  • A forum to educate trainees, physicians, patients and the public in the discipline of clinical immunology.
  • Advocacy in public policy issues.

As part of its mission, FOCIS has created centers of excellence worldwide to accelerate multidisciplinary scientific and clinical innovation and education.

Mayo Clinic is one of the institutions designated as a FOCIS Center of Excellence in the U.S. With this designation, Mayo Clinic shares a national and international leadership role and responsibility to promote clinical immunology as an expanding area of laboratory diagnosis, clinical practice, research and education.

Khashayarsha Khazaie, Ph.D., and Amir A. Sadighi Akha, M.D., Ph.D., serve as the director and associate director of Mayo Clinic's FOCIS Center of Excellence, respectively.

Affiliations

The Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapeutics Program is affiliated with other Mayo Clinic research areas, including: