Dr. Bellanti is Director of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology at Georgetown University and Director of the Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics and the Division of Virology and Immunology,Department of Laboratory Medicine Georgetown University Hospital.

Summary:

• MD, University of Buffalo School of Medicine, 1958
• At Georgetown Since: 1963
• Current lab has capacity for both new PhD stidents and Post Doctoral Fellows
• Contact: bellantj@georgetown.edu  

I am a physician/scientist interested in immunology, specifically in developmental immunology and antimicrobial immunity.

Details:

I am a Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology-Immunology and Director of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology which is described on http://www.immunologycenter.org and is briefly summarized below.

The International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology (ICISI) was chartered at Georgetown University Medical Center on February 15, 1975 to meet the needs of research, education and patient care activities at the Medical Center through innovative interdisciplinary intramural programs as well as technology transfer beyond the walls of the institution through community outreach programs.

The field of immunology began as the study of the body’s protective responses to infectious diseases but now encompasses a wide range of responses to encounter with foreign substances which are not only found in the external environment e.g., allergens and toxic chemicals, but which may also arise from within the body, e.g., cancer. Thus, the field of immunology now has clinical relevance to the body’s protective mechanisms to infectious diseases, allergic disorders, autoimmune diseases, immune deficiencies, transplantation and malignancy.

ICISI conducts a wide range of research projects in collaboration with colleagues from the basic science and clinical departments as well as from other institutions. ICISI is responsible for teaching the immunology portion of the microbiology-immunology course to second year medical students in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology-Immunology. The Immunology Center also offers a postdoctoral training program in developmental immunology for a two to three period of training for qualified applicants. The ICISI has trained over 100 candidates who come to the Center from the US as well as from countries throughout the world.

ICISI also provides direct and consultative patient care services in allergy-immunology, respiratory diseases and autoimmune diseases in both children and adults and administratively serves in laboratory immunology testing in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of Georgetown University Hospital covering a spectrum of diagnostic and therapeutic measures in a wide range of immunologically-mediated diseases.

Publications:

1: Bellanti JA. Literature review: the best new articles in the specialty of allergy, asthma, and immunology, 2004-2005. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2006;27:186-96.

2: Bueso MB, Caballero R, Castro HJ, Barakat A, Bellanti JA. Recurrent infections and joint pain. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2006;27:164-71.

3: Castro HJ, Mendez-Lnocencio JI, Omidvar B, Omidvar J, Santilli J, Nielsen HS Jr, Pavot AP, Richert JR, Bellanti JA. A phase I study of the safety of honeybee venom extract as a possible treatment for patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2005;26:470-6.

4: Bellanti JA, Sabra A, Zeligs BJ. Gastrointestinal immunopathology and food allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2004;93:S26-32.

5: Bellanti JA, Zeligs BJ, Mendez-Inocencio J, Garcia-Garcia ML, Islas-Romero R, Omidvar B, Omidvar J, Kim G, Fernandez De Castro J, Sepulveda Amor J, Walls L, Bellini WJ, Valdespino-Gomez JL. Immunologic studies of specific mucosal and systemic immune responses in Mexican school children after booster aerosol or subcutaneous immunization with measles vaccine. Vaccine. 2004;22:1214-20.

6: Bellanti J, Olivieri D, Serrano E. Ribosomal immunostimulation: assessment of studies evaluating its clinical relevance in the prevention of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children and adults. BioDrugs. 2003;17:355-67.

7: Bellanti JA, Zeligs BJ, Malka-Rais J, Sabra A. Abnormalities of Th1 function in non-IgE food allergy, celiac disease, and ileal lymphonodular hyperplasia: a new relationship? Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2003;90:84-9.

8: Bellanti JA, Malka-Rais J, Castro HJ, de Inocencio JM, Sabra A. Developmental immunology: clinical application to allergy-immunology. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2003;90:2-6.

9: Kulczycki LL, Kostuch M, Bellanti JA. A clinical perspective of cystic fibrosis and new genetic findings: relationship of CFTR mutations to genotype-phenotype manifestations.Am J Med Genet A. 2003;116:262-7.

10: Bellanti JA, Zeligs BJ, Mendez de Inocencio J, Omidvar BM, Omidvar J, Awasum M. Alternative routes of immunization for prevention of infectious diseases: a new paradigm for the 21st century. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2001;22:173-6.