Kappler, Marrack Elected to Institute of Medicine

National Jewish Health immunologists John Kappler, PhD, and Philippa Marrack, PhD, have worked together as a husband-and-wife team for more than 30 years. Their many discoveries about the functioning of the immune system have made them two of the most influential immunologists in the world.

In October, the prestigious and highly selective Institute of Medicine recognized their success by electing Drs. Kappler and Marrack as new members. Election to the Institute of Medicine is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Drs. Kappler and Marrack have focused most of their attention on the T cell, the immune-system cell that recognizes foreign invaders and orchestrates the adaptive immune response. Among other discoveries, they isolated the T-cell receptor, which binds to and recognizes foreign substances in the body; discovered how the body eliminates T cells that can cause autoimmune disease; and discovered superantigens, extremely virulent toxins that cause an overwhelming and disastrous immune response, such as occurs in toxic shock syndrome.

In recent years, Drs. Kappler and Marrack have focused on understanding how additives to vaccines, called adjuvants, enhance the development of memory T cells, which jump start an effective and rapid immune response after vaccination.

In addition to a passion for science, they also share a love of music. Dr. Marrack plays the piano most days, while Dr. Kappler both builds and plays the guitar.