Dr. Herold's background and research are in translational immunology. He is interested in understanding the basis for autoimmune diseases and developing new therapies based on an understanding of disease mechanisms. Dr. Herlod's focus has largely been in the field of autoimmune Type 1 diabetes. The work encompasses basic laboratory work as well as clinical studies to understand the regulation of autoreactive T cells to clinical trials that involve novel therapeutics with a focus on identifying the immune cells responsible for attacking the pancreatic islets, as well as studying how beta cells respond to these attacks.

As part of these studies the Herold Lab  has been very interested in analysis of beta cell function in Type 1 diabetes and identifying the cellular mechanisms that can protect them from immune killing. His group has also been studying the development of autoimmune diabetes in patients with cancers who are treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Dr. Herold's clinical and basic studies are focused on understanding how beta cells are destroyed and react to inflammation, with the ultimate goal being to stop disease before it progresses to permanent organ damage.