免疫学是生物学的一门学科，主要研究宿主防御病原体的机制。免疫系统的研究提供了独特的机会来分析由已证明具有生理相关性的分子和细胞组成的复杂的多组分系统。免疫学在生物化学，分子生物学和细胞生物学中有着坚实的基础。华盛顿大学医学院拥有大量研究人员，他们把免疫学作为主要研究重点。我们计划的研究范围广泛，从对宿主防御的基本结构和分子水平的研究一直到针对重大健康问题的临床应用，例如癌症免疫疗法。免疫学计划已经发展到包括50多个研究实验室，并且这个数目还在不断增加。免疫学家的这种不寻常的集中是促使人们在1986年成立了
Immunology is the discipline of biology that examines the mechanisms of host defense against pathogenic agents. The study of the immune system offers a unique opportunity to analyze a complex multicomponent system consisting of molecules and cells that have documented physiologic relevance. Immunology has a strong foundation in biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology. Washington University School of Medicine has a large community of investigators who make immunology their primary focus. The research within our program spans a broad spectrum, ranging from studies at the basic structural and molecular levels of host defense all the way to clinical applications directed at significant health problems, such as cancer immunotherapy. The Program in Immunology has grown to include more than 50 research laboratories and the number continues to increase. This unusual concentration of immunologists was the stimulus that led to the formation of a separate Graduate Program in Immunology in 1986.