David Serreze, Ph.D.

Professor

Researches the genetic basis for immunological tolerance to endogenous (own) proteins, and the defects that can lead to autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Our primary research interest is to understand the genetic basis for immunological tolerance to endogenous proteins. Defects in these mechanisms lead to many debilitating autoimmune diseases, of which type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most serious. In both humans and NOD mice, T1D results when insulin-producing pancreatic ß-cells are destroyed by autoreactive T-cell responses. Thus, insights into the genetic mechanisms responsible for the normal maintenance of immunological tolerance can be gained by identifying the pathogenic basis of T1D in NOD mice.

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Grants, honors and accomplishments

January 2017 - Invited lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Society meeting, San Francisco, California

April 2015 - Invited lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Society meeting, Munich, Germany

October 2015 - Invited lecture: Symposium for the 60th Anniversary of Tongji Hospital Relocation from Shanghai to Wuhan China

June 2014 - Invited lecture: 74th annual American Diabetes Association meeting, San Francisco, California

2002-present - Faculty of 1000 Member (Immunology) 

November 2013 - Invited lecture: German Medical Council meeting on autoimmune diseases, Munster, Germany

April 2013 - Invited lecture: Keystone Symposium on Immunopathology of Type 1 Diabetes, Whistler, British Columbia

September 2011 - Invited lecture: 5th Aegean Conference on “Autoimmunity: Mechanisms and Novel Treatments”, Crete, Greece, 

June 2011 - Invited speaker/round table discussant: Nature Medicine symposium on autoimmunity. Seeon, Germany

November 2010 - Invited Lecture: New England Immunology Conference  

June 2010 - Invited lecture: 70th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, Orlando, Florida  

October 2009 - Invited lecture: 4th Aegean Conference on “Autoimmunity: Mechanisms and Novel Treatments”, Crete, Greece

August 2009 - The Jackson Laboratory National Council Award for Scientific Achievement

November 2007 - Invited lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Society meeting, Miami, Florida 

October 2007 - Invited lecture: 3rd Aegean Conference on “Autoimmunity: Mechanisms and Novel Treatments”, Rhodes, Greece 

May 2007 - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Gerold and Kayla Grodsky Award for outstanding contributions to diabetes research

November 2006 - Invited lecture: New York Academy of Sciences Conference, Animal Models for Type 1 Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis, San Francisco, CA

June 2006 - Invited lecture: Merck sponsored conference “The Thyroid and Autoimmunity”. Noordwijk, The Netherlands

April, 2006 - Invited Keynote Address: National Institutes of Health Autoimmune Retinitis Workshop, Bethesda, Maryland 

March 2006 - Invited Overview lecture: Integrated European Union workshop on “The side of the victim: beta cell destruction in T1DM” and “The side of the aggressor: immunology of T1DM”. Leiden, The Netherlands

August 2005 - Invited Lecture: European Association for the Study of Diabetes/Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Joint Workshop, Oxford, England

December 2004 - Invited Keynote Address: The BB rat turns 30, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

November 2004 - Invited Lecture: New England Immunology Conference. 

May 2004 - Australasian Society of Immunology Invited International Speaker Tour

March/April 2004 - Invited lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Society Meeting, Cambridge, U.K.

2003, 2006, 2009 - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary Jane Kugal Research Award 

October 2002 - Invited Lecture: Genetics Session, Immunology of Diabetes Society Meeting, Copper Mountain, Colorado

October 2000 - Invited Plenary Session Lecture: Annual Meeting of the Canadian Diabetes Association, Halifax, Nova Scotia

April 1999 - Invited Lecture: Autoimmunity Session, American Association of Immunologists Meeting, Washington DC

1998 - Applebaum Visiting Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Univ. of Florida College of Medicine 

June 1998 - Invited Plenary Session Lecture: 58th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, Chicago, Illinois

October 1995 - Invited Lecture: Immunology of Diabetes Society Meeting, Orvieto, Italy

1995-1996 - Merck Scholar in Immunology

1991 - American Diabetes Association Mentor Based Post-Doctoral Fellowship 

1987 - American Diabetes Association Travel Award-Top 5 Abstracts, International Research Symposium on Immunology of Diabetes 

1978 - Alpha Zeta (life science honor society) Univ. of Maine Chapter 

1979 - B.S. in Biology with Distinction, Univ. of Maine