Autoimmune Life Blog

Learn the backstory of a discovery that changed our understanding of the immune system and earned a Nobel Prize from Steven Ziegler, PhD.

For more than 20 years, Steven Ziegler, PhD, has wondered if an altered version of a protein might play a key role in autoimmune diseases. Now, he finally has the tools to investigate further – and his work could lead to key insights about how and why lupus happens.

Read about the questions Dr. Ninomiya will ask about one of the most devastating forms of cancer.

Each summer, BRI hosts undergraduate interns from universities across the country. They join various BRI labs and departments to take on research projects with mentorship from our scientists. Meet this year's interns and learn about the exciting projects they worked on.

The immune system keeps us healthy by maintaining a delicate balance. Every cell has a purpose: Some sound the alarm when they see an invader. Some attack germs that don’t belong. And some patrol the other cells in the immune system to make sure they’re doing their job.

Steven Ziegler, PhD, still has questions about a protein called thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) — even after studying it for more than 30 years. The Ziegler Lab helped establish that TSLP plays a role in asthma, lupus and several cancers.

For nearly 20 years, Dr. Buckner has been working to find a more targeted approach with fewer side effects. And she’s among a handful of scientists pursuing an intriguing idea: Can we use gene editing to change cells that cause disease into cells that protect you from disease?

It’s the 1990s in Seattle. Grunge music is getting national play. Amazon operates out of a garage. And a mysterious protein catches the eye of Steve Ziegler, PhD.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), a rare immune system condition that’s connected to food allergies and causes serious inflammation in the esophagus. A BRI research team, led by Karen Cerosaletti, PhD, and Steven Ziegler, PhD, launched a study asking some key questions about EOE.

Without clinical research participants, we might not have groundbreaking cancer treatments like immunotherapy or vaccines for polio, rubella and other life-threatening diseases.