Molecular Microbiology & Immunology

Research in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology reflects the strength and diversity of its faculty through a unifying focus of the study of host-pathogen interactions, especially in the area of virology.

Upcoming Seminar
Venuprasad K. Poojary, Ph.D.

Areas of interest include:

• viral pathogenesis
• immunology
• molecular and cellular biology
• biodefense

The virology program is one of the strongest in the USA, and it encompasses research on:

• adenoviruses
• hepatitis B and C viruses
• Herpes simplex virus
• HIV (structure-function of integrase enzyme)
• poxviruses (including model studies for smallpox)
• anti-viral drug therapy
• cancer gene therapy using viral vectors
• prions

The immunology program includes research on:

• immunotherapy of cancer
• regulatory T cells in autoimmune disease
• molecular mechanisms that control regulatory T cells
• osteoimmunology
• cytokine function
• vaccine development (discovery and clinical trials)
• nutrophils and natural killer cells

Other research:

• parasites (T. cruzi)
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• cell cycle regulation
• programmed cell death (apoptosis)
• role of mitochondrial mutations in disease
• ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids

MMI Key Features

The Department has state-of-the-art laboratories located in a research and teaching complex together with other basic science departments in the School of Medicine.

The 11 primary and 13 secondary faculty in the Department have strong independent research programs funded by the government, research foundations, and industry. The faculty serve on national peer-review panels and journal editorial boards, are often invited to report on their work at other institutions, and their research is published in highly visible scientific journals. Students in the department receive progressive didactic instruction and extensive cutting-edge research training in molecular biology, cell biology, cell-cell interactions, virology, and immunology.