Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis are serious human health problems. There is a high incidence (5-7%) of these diseases and there are no effective therapies. Autoimmune diseases are caused by an abnormal immune reaction against self constituents, a phenomenon known as autoimmunity. My laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying these autoimmune reactions. Novel models that express autoimmune-predisposing genes and self-attacking immune molecules are being developed and utilized to obtain a better knowledge about how autoimmune diseases are initiated and how this process can be stopped.