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. Areas of interest include viral pathogenesis, immunology, molecular and cellular biology, vaccine development (discovery and clinical trials), biodefense, and cancer gene therapy. The virology program is one of the strongest in the USA, and it encompasses research on adenoviruses, flaviviruses, hepatitis B and C viruses, herpesviruses (herpes simplex virus, Varicella Zoster virus), HIV, and poxviruses (including model studies for smallpox). Other research addresses parasites (T. cruzi), fungi, cell cycle regulation, programmed cell death (apoptosis), and the role of mitochondrial mutations in disease.

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 18 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.