Patients with PIDD require multi-specialty expertise for optimal outcomes. However, rigorous PIDD training is lacking in many sub-specialties despite a growing need for immunology knowledge in all facets of medicine. PIDD research is also hampered by lack of a cross-disciplinary network across centers. North American institutions united in 2014 to form the North American Immuno-Hematology Clinical Education and Research (NICER) Consortium to address these limitations.
The NICER consortium consists of 15+ institutions and is composed of experts with diverse training including immunology, hematology/oncology, bone marrow transplantation, infectious disease, rheumatology, laboratory medicine and genetics.
To increase PIDD education across specialties, NICER implemented a monthly video case conference presented by rotating institutions. Diverse cases include known molecular defects as well as diagnostic odysseys and information regarding diagnosis and treatment. Partnership with the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) in 2018 expanded the educational platform of NICER and will improve clinical care with 3 new discussion platforms (listservs): immune cytopenias; malignancy in PIDD; and immune-related adverse events. An annual NICER symposium was initiated in 2018 to highlight PIDD research. A developing research foundation includes a patient registry for cohort development with longitudinal clinical phenotyping across disciplines and a curated PIDD biorepository. Implementation of this infrastructure for clinical trials is projected for the fall of 2019.
The creation and expansion of the NICER consortium has been rapid and relevant in developing educational opportunities for diverse specialists in North America. Current and future work is focused on developing the platform for multi-institutional immuno-hematology research.