Understanding primary immunodeficiency (PI)
Understanding PI
The more you understand about primary immunodeficiency (PI), the better you can live with the disease or support others in your life with PI. Learn more about PI, including the various diagnoses and treatment options.
Learn more about PI
Living with PI
Living with PI
Living with primary immunodeficiency (PI) can be challenging, but you’re not alone—many people with PI lead full and active lives. With the right support and resources, you can, too.
Learn more about living with PI
Get involved
Get involved
Be a hero for those with PI. Change lives by promoting primary immunodeficiency (PI) awareness and taking action in your community through advocacy, donating, volunteering, or fundraising.
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Advancing research and clinical care
Advancing research and clinical care
Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, or an individual with primary immunodeficiency (PI), IDF has resources to help you advance the field. Get details on surveys, grants, and clinical trials.
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Research Grant Program

IDF provides research grants to support clinicians and scientists focused on primary immunodeficiency (PI).

Scope and eligibility

IDF’s Research Grant Program supports patient-centered research focused on improving the treatment, health, disease management, or diagnosis of people with PI, as well as research that contributes to the general body of PI knowledge.

Awards range from $25,000-50,000.
- Exceptional proposals considered for higher levels of support.
- The Michael Blaese Research Grant Award is given to the highest-scored application each cycle.
Open to applicants based in the U.S. only.
One-year term.
Currently unavailable for individuals employed by federal government agencies or departments.

Evaluation process

IDF’s Research Committee, made up of recognized immunologists and past grant awardees, reviews and scores research proposals through a peer review process based on the system used by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The committee recommends funding for the proposals with the highest scores, ensuring an unbiased and independent selection process based solely on scientific merit.

Most recent awardees

IDF 2024 research grantees Drs. Emily Harris, David Nguyen, Alexandra Martinson, and Laruen Meyer.

2024 grantees probe biology to aid PI diagnosis

Four projects, totaling more than $150,000, each work towards reducing the time to diagnosis. The awarded researchers are Drs. Emily Harris, David Nguyen, Alexandra Martinson, and Lauren Meyer.

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2023 Blaese awardee

Dr. Donald Kohn will use his grant funds to gather crucial pre-clinical data for a gene editing strategy to treat X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). If successful, his strategy could begin clinical trials in 2-4 years.

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Pink highlighter going over the definition of grant.

Funded 2023 grants span diagnosis, T cell biology, and new treatments

IDF’s 2023 grantees are developing treatments like gene editing and fecal microbiome transplant, advancing genetic diagnoses, and developing techniques to better understand specific PIs.

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Previous awardees

Starting in 2022, the top-ranked grant in each cycle has been awarded the Michael Blaese Research Grant Award, named in honor of IDF’s long-time medical advisor and noted PI researcher, Dr. Michael Blaese.

2022

Blaese awardee: Dr. Joud Hajjar, Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Brenna LaBere, Boston Children’s Hospital; Dr. Beth Thielen, University of Minnesota; Dr. Artemio Jongco, Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research.

Read about the 2022 winning grants.

2020

Dr. Alice Chau, Seattle Children’s Institute; Dr. Pietro Genovese, Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Dr. Sarah Henrickson, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Michelle Hermiston, University of California San Francisco; Dr. Paul Maglione, Boston University School of Medicine; Dr. Bethany Percha, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Qian Zhang, The Rockefeller University.

View 2020 awarded grants.

2019

Dr. Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, Emory University; Dr. Stacey Lynn Clardy, University of Utah; Dr. Rui Yang, The Rockefeller University.

2018

Dr. Lori Broderick, University of California, San Diego; Dr. Megan Cooper, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation; Dr. Attila Kumanovics, University of Utah; Dr. Carrie L. Lucas, Yale University.

View 2018 and 2019 awarded grants.

2017

Dr. Sara Barmettler, Massachusetts General Hospital; Dr. Nilesh Chitnis, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Joud Hajjar, Baylor School of Medicine; Dr. Artemio Jongco, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research; Dr. Sergio Rosenzweig, National Institutes of Health.

2016

Dr. Sonia Sharma, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology.

View 2016 and 2017 awarded grants.

White paper challenge

In 2022, IDF sponsored a White Paper Challenge to seek out new ideas and address relevant topics in the PI community. We invited submissions from all individuals, institutions, schools, and researchers with exciting ideas about expanding awareness in communities of color, increasing equity in clinical trials, and shortening the time from diagnosis to treatment.

Read about the winners