Jay H. Bream is a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. His research is aimed at bridging the gap between genetic polymorphism and biological function to maintain a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses for effective immunity against infectious pathogens while repressing the development of autoimmunity. A key to understanding this delicate balance is evaluating the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that govern the expression of IL-10. Thus, Bream believes this requires a bilateral approach and his work addresses the basic mechanisms of IL-10 gene expression and the application of these data to allelic variation. Broadly, his research goals include elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cell- and signal-specific IL-10 gene regulation, determining how human cell type-specific human IL-10 regulation impacts disease outcomes, and using functional genomics to investigate the translation of genetics and disease association data into a mechanistic and functional immunologic context. He received his bachelors degree and PhD from Pennsylvania Sate University.