IMAGINE

life without disease.

Professor, President & CEO Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., MBA, is a leader in infectious disease research and has dedicated her career to bringing scientists together to face the toughest health threats.

Our Focus Is Immunology

At La Jolla Institute for Immunology, we solely focus on the immune system because it holds the power to prevent, treat, and ultimately eliminate disease. We accelerate life-saving discoveries by combining a uniquely agile research environment with cutting-edge technology—empowering our world-class scientists to aim higher and move faster. LJI discoveries don’t just advance science, they change lives.

Our breakthroughs in immunology make Life Without Disease® possible.

Our Research Centers

La Jolla Institute is home to four research centers that focus the efforts of collaborative groups of researchers on defined areas of inquiry, to accelerate progress toward the development of new treatments and vaccines to prevent and cure autoimmune conditions, cancer and infectious disease.

Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation

Enabling our experts to take a deep dive into the complexity of the immune system.

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Center for Cancer Immunotherapy

At the forefront of exploring new and sometimes unexpected avenues for novel immune-based cancer treatments.

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Center for Vaccine Innovation

Conducting fundamental research on how the body reacts to vaccines and battles infections.

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Center for Sex-based Differences in the Immune System

Uncovering sex-specific variables in immune responses to provide personalized treatments for disease.

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Live from the Lab
On May 20, 2026, LJI hosted a "Live from the Lab" webinar moderated by Professor, President, and CEO Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., MBA, an international leader in pandemic and emerging viruses and a pioneer in structural immunology. The discussion also featured the Saphire Lab’s Kelly Shaffer and Onyeka Chukwudozie. Kelly and Onyeka shared more about their latest on-the-ground efforts to fight Ebola and Lassa viruses, and discussed how fieldwork in African countries is driving new discoveries.
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Center for Sex-based Differences in the Immune System
Disease affects men and women differently, and sex-specific health differences can be glaring. Women are better at fighting off infection but are more likely to develop an autoimmune condition, with 80 percent of autoimmune disease cases diagnosed in females. Men are more prone to heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. Some of these cases may come down to genetic differences that are the result of differential x-chromosome inactivation; sex hormone level; gender; behavior, or life experiences. But that is only part of the explanation.
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Art, science, stories
After reading about LJI’s research efforts to fight COVID-19, Juan de Dios Sánchez, an internationally recognized artist from Cuernavaca, Mexico, gifted a 3ft sculpture titled “COVID-19” to the Institute. It is dedicated to the researchers who tirelessly worked to put the pandemic behind us.

 Life Without Disease STORIES

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Immune Matters Magazine
Explore interviews, articles, and video exclusives from our Institute magazine.
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Research Services

Technological innovation and scientific advances are intricately linked and that is why La Jolla Institute puts a big emphasis to provide a first-rate scientific infrastructure and easy access to the latest technology. LJI’s scientific core facilities provide faculty, researchers and students with access to an array of state-of-the-art equipment, technologies, training and expertise to support innovative research. The Institute’s small size allows LJI researchers to interact closely with highly trained experts working in the research support services and to quickly adjust technical applications to the requirements of individual labs.

Our research services include: Bioinformatics, Clinical Studies, Cryo-EM, Flow Cytometry, Histopathology, Immunometabolism, Microscopy & Histology, and Next Generation Sequencing.

For more information on accessing our core facilities, please contact our Core Facilities Administrator.

Latest News

LJI researchers discover that 'cross-reactive' T cells can recognize measles and the highly lethal Nipah virus
LJI scientists lead pandemic preparedness as they develop strategies for stopping rodent-borne viruses
LJI scientists discover how we can harness T cells to combat deadly infections, including Lassa fever and hantavirus disease

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Seminars

24
Jun, 2026
12:00 pm

"Harnessing CAR/TCR immunotherapeutic precision: Metabolic Constraints, Hinges, and Fuzzy Logic"

Speaker: Naomi Taylor, MD, PhD
La Jolla Institute – Ishizaka Seminar Room
16
Sep, 2026
12:00 pm

"Harnessing hard-wired immunity to combat influenza viruses"

Speaker: Masaru Kanekiyo, DVM, PhD
La Jolla Institute – Ishizaka Seminar Room