
Maternal/Fetal Immune Interactions: Why Doesn’t the Mother Reject the Fetus?
During pregnancy, the foreign antigens of the fetus and placenta come into direct contact with cells of the maternal immune system but fail to evoke the typical tissue rejection response seen with surgical organ transplants. The Erlebacher lab investigates the cellular and molecular basis of this immunological paradox. Read More | Archives
The Department of Pathology has a proud tradition of basic and clinically oriented investigation that dates back to our inception in 1881, when the Department was established to study "the pathology of many diseases." Since then, pathology researchers at NYU have continuously set the pace for innovative research.
Our 45 research faculty work in diverse areas, ranging from fundamental aspects of cell and molecular biology to clinical trials. These faculty are loosely organized into three broadly defined research programs: Experimental Pathology, Immunology, and Molecular Oncology, which generally correspond to our graduate training programs in Pathobiology and Molecular Oncology and Immunology.
We have augmented our already diverse group of researchers by recruiting five new faculty members from premier research institutions to the Department since 2004, all of whom already have significant research funding. Research in the Department is well-funded, with over $25 million in overall funding for the fiscal year 2007, and we consistently rank in the top 20 Pathology programs nationwide in terms of NIH funding. We currently enjoy over 33,000 square feet of new or newly renovated laboratory space, and expect to recruit additional research faculty over the years ahead. Most importantly, our faculty consists of many collaborative, collegial and scholarly researchers who thrive on stimulating intellectual challenges and who enjoy mentoring the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists.
These long-term efforts have succeeded in placing NYU School of Medicine among the top 10 research universities in the USA for a number of disciplines and research areas in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences. In the most recent 2007 index of faculty scholarly productivity for 375 US research universities compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education, NYU ranks 2nd for Oncology and Cancer Biology and is ranked 7th in Immunology.