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Immunology in Portland and the Northwest

Portland is home to many scientists and institutions producing leading-edge research in immunology.

Here, we present stories of the AAI members and institutions that contributed to the development of immunological research in Portland and the broader region of the Northwest.

Portland and the Northwest

 

Immunology in Portland and the Northwest

 

To learn more about the institutions that have historically been home to multiple AAI members, click here.

Early Portland History

Established 16 years before the outbreak of the American Civil War, Portland's growth was owed to its strategic location at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, its proximity to the agricultural Tualatin Valley, and its easy access to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River.

 

Oregon Health & Science University

 

Since the earliest days of the city, biomedical research in Portland has centered on what is now called the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). It has also consistently been home to the largest number of AAI members in Oregon.

Oregon Immunology Research Institutions

Oregon is home to a wide variety of immunological institutions. In addition to OSHU, AAI members have been researchers at many academic institutions, government laboratories, hospitals, and biotechnology companies in the state. Here, we highlight those institutions that have been home to multiple longtime members.

 

A Charter Member in Portland

 

When the American Association of Immunologists was founded in 1913, there was one physician-scientist in Portland who joined as a charter member. Ralph Matson was a tuberculosis researcher who had studied under Almroth Wright as did many other charter members.

Rocky Mountain Laboratories: Ticks and Ricketts

The RML’s history goes back to 1901, when the Montana State Board of Health began an investigation into Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMFS). This disease caused dark measles-like rash all over the body as well as a dangerous fever. It was fatal in 80% of cases, and the cause was unknown.

 

Rocky Mountain Laboratories: The Evolution of the Lab

The first laboratories at RML were temporary structures or borrowed woodsheds. Only in 1921 did Ralph Parker secure an abandoned schoolhouse on the Bitterroot River for the USPHS.

Immunological Institutions in the Northwest

AAI members in the Northwest have been part of immunological research since the eve of the Great Depression. Throughout most of the 20th century, the region boasted robust basic, clinical, and veterinary immunology research at mainly academic and federal government institutions.

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