UC San Diego Health, an academic health system with the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has entered into a multi-year affiliation agreement with La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.
Here are four things to know about the affiliation.
1. The affiliation is designed "to deepen existing collaborative relationships, boost basic research of diseases of the immune system and more quickly introduce new clinical treatments and therapies," according to both entities. "La Jolla Institute's mission has always been to better understand the human immune system and develop new treatments, cures and prevention of diseases ranging from cancer and diabetes to both old and emerging infectious agents, like tuberculosis, dengue virus and SARS," Mitchell Kronenberg, PhD, president and chief scientific officer of LJI, said in a news release. "Working more closely with UC San Diego Health and its renowned faculty in the biological sciences will help get us there faster."
2. The affiliation will provide translational aspects of the fundamental research performed at LJI and strengthen existing connections between UC San Diego and LJI, according to Paul Viviano, CEO of UC San Diego Health.
3. The agreement outlines an expansion of shared research and resources, joint faculty appointments in immunology, pharmacology and/or medicine, and combined new faculty recruiting efforts intended to speed translation of basic research at both institutions into clinical practice at UC San Diego Health and beyond.
4. With the agreement, LJI will remain an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute governed by its own management and board of directors. The president of LJI will be appointed an associate dean of allergy and immunology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, aiding in planning and strategy for developing immunology research on the campus. The CEO of UC San Diego Health will join the LJI board of directors as an ex officio member and the dean of UC San Diego School of Medicine will join the LJI Scientific Advisory Board.