Immunology Center of Georgia

Established in 2022, the Immunology Center of Georgia is fostering the next generation of immunology researchers through groundbreaking research initiatives, state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative partnerships. We are recruiting 20 faculty members and building their lab teams over the next few years, which require space, equipment and other resources to support their work. 

Areas of focus

Cancer Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy has the power to prolong the lives of hundreds of thousands of cancer patients, often by many years. Many cancers can be treated with immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors and engineered immune cells known as CAR-T cells. Checkpoint inhibitors have a global market of $37 billion, which is expected to increase to $168 billion by 2032. CAR-T cells had a market of more than $8 billion in 2023, which is expected to grow to about $89 billion by 2032. IMMCG faculty are researching ways to broaden the applicability of this technology.

Vaccines: Currently, 32 FDA-approved vaccines are on the market. Vaccines have eradicated smallpox and effectively curbed many other devastating diseases like polio and COVID. The vaccine market is projected to reach a revenue of about $57 billion this year. Some IMMCG faculty are working to develop a new class of vaccines called tolerogenic vaccines, while others focus their efforts on cancer vaccines.

Heart disease: IMMCG faculty explore the role of immune cells in cardiovascular disease and specifically atherosclerosis, the disease that causes heart attacks and strokes. Research is focused on three types of immune cells: monocytes, neutrophils and T cells. Each of these immune cell types impacts the growth or resolution of plaques in the arteries. When a plaque ruptures, a heart attack or stroke follows. This research is designed to harness the immune system to shrink plaques and prevent negative health outcomes.