title: The promised land of human immunology.
abstract: Advances in technology and data analysis have made it possible to take a new look at human immunology. These advances run the gamut from systems biology approaches, which are likely in the vanguard of how we can start "to put the pieces together" of immune function, to a deeper understanding of specific diseases and vaccines and the immune repertoire. In our own experience, we have also found that asking simple questions about human immunity has often given us very surprising answers, causing a rethink of established dogma. Thus, we have developed a new perspective on the nature of the αβ TCR repertoire and also the likely role of T-cell repertoire (TCR) cross-reactivity in generating T memory independent of specific antigen interactions. These findings show that human immunology is not just a necessary step for "translating" basic immunology to treat diseases or develop better vaccines, but is also an important complement to the inbred mouse model.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
authors.forename: Laura F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305.
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Furman
authors.affiliation: Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore 138648.
authors.forename: Evan W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305 Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305 mmdavis@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Mark M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D049490:Systems Biology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta