GAI and La Jolla Institute for Immunology
A Unified Mission
Established in 2024, the partnership between the Global Autoimmune Institute (GAI) and La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) has grown into a multifaceted collaboration advancing autoimmune disease research, scientific education, and public engagement.
To date, GAI has committed more than $1.8 million to support research, scientific infrastructure, educational initiatives, scientific events, and public resources through its partnership with LJI.
LJI is one of the few organizations in the world solely dedicated to research on the immune system. Its Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation enables LJI’s experts to uncover the causes and commonalities among different autoimmune diseases and to develop new treatments that teach the immune system to tolerate the body’s own cells. As a result, LJI researchers have wide-ranging expertise in the fundamental mechanisms of self-tolerance, as well as in many of the autoimmune diseases that result when self-tolerance breaks down.
What began as a catalytic investment has evolved into a sustained commitment that is enabling deeper discovery, expanded collaboration, and a more continuous path from fundamental insight to translational impact.
Eileen Timken, MPA
Director of Advancement, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
This 2025–2026 Impact Report prepared by the La Jolla Institute for Immunology reflects the growing impact of the GAI–LJI partnership. It highlights scientific advances, collaborative initiatives, and ongoing efforts to accelerate autoimmune disease research while supporting a more continuous path from discovery to real-world impact.
Dr. Sam Myers
GAI proudly supports the work of LJI’s Dr. Sam Myers, the inaugural Global Autoimmune Institute Assistant Professor. Dr. Myers leads the Laboratory for Immunochemical Circuits, which focuses on how molecular modifications affect immune cell behavior, providing critical insights into autoimmune disease mechanisms.
In 2025, GAI renewed its support for Dr. Myers with a five-year commitment to fund the GAI Assistant Professorship and ensure long-term continuity in his research.
As the Global Autoimmune Institute Assistant Professor, Dr. Myers leads a research program focused on decoding the molecular signals that govern immune cell behavior—work that is redefining how autoimmune diseases are understood at their most fundamental level. With GAI’s support, his lab has been able to pursue high-risk, high-reward questions, expand its suite of cutting-edge technologies, recruit exceptional scientific talent, and build collaborative networks that extend across disciplines and institutions. This flexibility, which is especially rare for early-career faculty, has enabled discoveries that would not otherwise be possible.
2025–2026 GAI/LJI Impact Report
2025–2026 Update: The Myers lab has used these expanded proteomics capabilities to advance research on how immune cells interpret inflammatory signals, uncover new mechanisms that regulate immune activity, and develop innovative tools for studying signaling pathways. These efforts contributed to discoveries accepted for publication in Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and continue to inform new approaches for understanding autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
The Decision Makers
The Decision Makers is a short documentary highlighting Dr. Sam Myers’ research journey, scientific leadership, and contributions to autoimmune disease research. Through interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, the film offers an inside look at the people, discoveries, and partnerships helping advance our understanding of immune-mediated disease while exploring the role philanthropy can play in accelerating scientific progress.
Walter and Jean Boek Seminar Series
This impact report prepared by LJI highlights the first year of the Walter and Jean Boek Seminar Series and the Walter and Jean Boek Leadership in Research Award Lecture. It reflects GAI’s support for scientific collaboration, thought leadership, and patient engagement through programs that bring together researchers, clinicians, advocates, and families while advancing dialogue around autoimmune disease research and innovation.
To view upcoming seminars, access previously recorded presentations, and learn more about the series, visit: https://www.lji.org/events/seminars/
LEAD Day
(Lectures, Empowerment, and Awareness in Autoimmune Disease)
LEAD Day is an annual event hosted by LJI and GAI that brings together leading scientists, healthcare professionals, advocates, and the autoimmune disease community. Through scientific lectures, community discussions, and public engagement, LEAD Day connects emerging autoimmune research with the people whose lives it aims to improve.
GAI was thrilled to support the very first LEAD Day in La Jolla, CA on March 6, 2025. A highlight of the day was the presentation of the first Walter and Jean Boek Leadership in Research Award to Dr. Georg Schett, recognizing his pioneering work in the field of autoimmune disease. Another was the Beyond the Diagnosis: The Autoimmunity Research That’s Reshaping Lives panel discussion, featuring Dr. Schett, Dr. Myers, Dr. Guma, and Sandy Werness.
Sandra Boek Werness, Executive Director of the Global Autoimmune Institute presenting Dr. Georg Schett with the Walter and Jean Boek Leadership in Research Award
Live From the Lab
with LJI’s Dr. Sonia Sharma
On March 19, 2025, GAI and LJI held a virtual event offering a rare behind-the-scenes look into pioneering autoimmune research. In this session, viewers were introduced to the overlooked role of non-immune cells, such as those in the skin and blood vessels, as critical first responders in autoimmune and inflammatory responses.
Dr. Sharma led attendees through an eye-opening exploration of how early immune signaling by these cells can influence disease progression. Using cutting-edge techniques like genome-scale RNA interference, CRISPR/Cas9, and mass spectrometry metabolomics, Dr. Sharma revealed how this research is shaping the future of autoimmune disease understanding and treatment.
Whether seeking personal insight or scientific enrichment, attendees walked away with a deeper appreciation for the hidden complexity of immune system triggers. A lively Q&A session followed, moderated by GAI Executive Director Sandy Boek Werness, J.D.
Patient Engagement Programs Impact Report
This impact report prepared by LJI highlights GAI-sponsored public education and outreach initiatives, including the Life Without Disease lecture series and Live from the Lab webinar program. It reflects ongoing efforts to make complex immunology research more accessible while creating meaningful opportunities for patients, advocates, and the broader community to engage with the science shaping the future of autoimmune disease research.
Life Without Disease Seminar
Held in La Jolla, CA on November 7, 2024
LJI’s Life Without Disease seminar series connects Southern California with the frontlines of immune research, highlighting discoveries that could transform the future of human health.
Outsmarting Autoimmune Disease
If we want to control how immune cells behave, we first need to understand how they “think” and “make decisions.”
In the fall of 2024, GAI helped bring together researchers through a seminar at La Jolla Institute for Immunology featuring Samuel Anthony Myers, Ph.D., the inaugural Global Autoimmune Institute Assistant Professor.
Dr. Myers highlighted how his research combines mass spectrometry and proteomics to understand how immune cells make decisions, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying autoimmune, inflammatory, and other diseases.
Event Photographs
Printed Features
Communicating science is vital to empowering patients and physicians alike.
Immune Matters Magazine
Featuring interviews and articles on the partnership’s achievements, this biannual publication offers a window into the transformative research underway.
Resource Guide (coming soon)
GAI has supported LJI’s development of engaging infographics that educate the public on autoimmune diseases and the progress being made to combat them.