"Sometimes in science there are so many people trying to answer the same question that it's good to stray off in another direction," Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., LJI Professor. "Taking the road less traveled can bring its voyagers to unexpected - and even groundbreaking - new territory." The La Jolla Institute The La Jolla Institute for Immunology is a non-profit medical research institute dedicated to increasing knowledge and improving human health through studies of the immune system. Our essential purpose is to expand our understanding of how the immune system works and to discover the causes of immune system disorders. The knowledge gained through our biomedical research can, in turn lead to the prevention, treatment and cure of a wide range of human diseases. What is immunology? Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune response. The immune response is the defense system of the body carried out by white blood cells against microbial threats such as a virus infection. Since immunology has an effect on every organ system in our body, there is no biomedical discipline that has greater implications for improving human health. Where is LJI? The La Jolla Institute is located in the University of California San Diego's Science Research Park in a world-class facility covering 145,000 square feet. Our space provides an open laboratory setting that encourages La Jolla Institute for Immunology's highly collaborative research environment.