The Immunity and Host Defense (IHD) study section reviews applications that focus primarily on the host innate and adaptive immune responses to a wide variety of infectious disease microbes and microbiome communities, including viruses (except HIV), bacteria, fungi, and parasites.

Review Dates

Membership Panel

The membership panel is a list of chartered members only.

Topics


  • Mechanistic investigations of innate and adaptive immune responses, which include but are not limited to the characterization of systemic and tissue-localized immune cells, receptors, and host factors in response to pathogenic microbes
  • Mucosal immunity to microbes: host immune responses at mucosal sites to microbes and immune regulation by the microbiomes; induction and modulation of mucosal immune responses; comparison of mucosal immunity to systemic immunity, differentiation of immune responses at the mucosa and peripheral lymphoid tissues; immune cell migration to mucosal sites, including inductive and effector sites
  • Modulation of immune response by microbes as model systems to study the host immune system
  • Maternal/neonatal immune responses to microbes

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with bacterial study sections, namely Bacterial Virulence (BV) and Bacterial Host Interactions (BHI) in responses by immune cells to bacteria. Applications focused on the bacterium or pathogenic mechanism may be reviewed in PCMB, BV, or BHI. Applications focused on the immune mechanisms associated with the host response to bacterial infections and those utilizing bacteria as tools to stimulate an immune response may be reviewed in IHD.

There are shared interests with viral study sections, namely Molecular and Cellular Biology of Virus Infection (MCV), Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity (VPI), and Viral Dynamics and Transmission (VDT) in the response by immune cells to viruses. Mechanisms of viral host evasion and identification of determinants of susceptibility or resistance may be reviewed by MCV, VPI, or VDT. The general mechanisms by which the immune system responds to viral persistence may be reviewed by IHD.

There are shared interests with Pathogenic Eukaryotes (PTHE) in the response by immune cells to eukaryotic pathogens. Applications where the focus is on the eukaryotic pathogen may be reviewed by PTHE. Applications with a focus on the immune response to a eukaryotic pathogen trigger may be reviewed in IHD.

There are shared interests in immune responses to pathogens with complex life cycles with Transmission of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases (TVZ). Applications that emphasize non-human reservoirs of infection or aim to perturb transmission across organisms may be reviewed in TVZ. Applications that emphasize fundamental mechanisms of immunological responses to pathogens or disease persistence may be reviewed in IHD.

There are shared interests with Vaccines against Infectious Diseases (VID) in immune responses to microbes. Applications that emphasize generation or testing of vaccines or immune responses to vaccines may be reviewed in VID. Applications that emphasize basic immunological studies, such as mechanistic studies of the innate, systemic, and mucosal immune responses to microbial organisms, may be reviewed by IHD.

There are shared interests with Innate Immunity and Inflammation (III) in innate immune responses. Applications focused more strongly on systemic and tissue-specific inflammation and responses may be reviewed by III, whereas applications involving effector functions of innate immune cells in response to microbial interactions as the predominant trigger may be reviewed by IHD. Genetically tractable animal and non-mammalian models of innate immunity, such as drosophila and zebrafish, may be reviewed by III, whereas in vitro and in vivo infectious disease models may be reviewed by IHD.

There are shared interests with Hypersensitivity, Allergies and Mucosal Immunology (HAMI) in immune responses to microbes. Applications involving innate or adaptive immune responses to environmental factors such as the microbiome and non-pathogenic molecules, in the context of hypersensitivities, allergic and/or mucosal inflammatory diseases may be reviewed by HAMI, whereas those involving host responses to infectious agents may be reviewed by IHD.

There are shared interests with Digestive System Host Defense, Microbial Interactions and Immune and Inflammatory Diseases (DHMI), Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT), Lung Cellular, Molecular, and Immunobiology (LCMI), and Hepatobiliary Pathophysiology (HBBP).  Applications addressing microbe-host immune or inflammatory interactions relevant to the diseases or disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (DHMI), nervous system (CNBT), respiratory tract (LCMI), and hepatobiliary system (HBPP) due to infection may be reviewed in the respective study section noted. Applications with a focus on innate and adaptive response to a wide variety of pathogens may be reviewed in IHD.

There are shared interests with Etiology, Diagnostic, Intervention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (EDIT) in analyzing human immune responses. Applications that emphasize population-level analyses or clinical trials may be reviewed in EDIT. Applications that emphasize human cells or small-scale human sample analyses may be reviewed in IHD.

 

Last updated: 01/23/2024 05:10