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[0] Sanz, Ignacio [2] University of Rochester [3] NO1-AI-50029* [4] 
One of the major threats to our society in the foreseeable future is the possibility of a terrorist attack with lethal biological agents. In the event of such an attack, immuno-compromised patients which prominently include autoimmune patients subject to therapeutic immunosuppression will be at a very high risk. Therefore, there is a clear need to identify the specific immune defects that make these populations specially susceptible. One of the more prevalent forms of immunosuppresion used for a growing number of autoimmune conditions is chronic blockade of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). It is expected that in the near future candidates for this type of therapy will include several million American citizens. In this application, we propose to develop and apply the University of Rochester Program for Biodefense of Immunocompromised Populations (URPBIP) to the systematic study of human immune function with the goal of identifying defective mechanisms of immune response in patients treated with TNF blockade (anti-TNF). Although our study will not be specifically designed to understand immune function in the elderly, the inclusion of a subset of patients and controls over and under 50 may result in the discovery of age-specific defects.
ImmPort: Immunology Database and Analysis Portal
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