We work in state-of-the-art facilities that include all of the equipment and resources necessary to perform this important research.Īs recently as 20 years ago, some prominent scientists declared the impending end of infectious diseases as a serious threat to human health. These studies are carried out in the laboratories of 40 faculty who receive substantial research grant support from the NIH and other governmental and private agencies. Investigation of preventative measures, including the development of vaccines, represents a part of our effort. Conversely, we also investigate the pathways by which the host immune response endeavors to overcome these infections. We strive to understand the mechanisms by which viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites elicit pathogenesis in the infected host. Many faculty members have also written textbooks that guide the next generation of scientists. They have received numerous awards ranging from new investigator to faculty achievement to lifetime achievement awards. This service includes editors of peer-reviewed journals, peer-review panels, appointments to national scientific boards, organizers for high profile conferences, and features in the press. Our faculty enjoy both national and international recognition for their service to the scientific community. We continue to seek the best in our pursuits of research and education for our future scientists. Collectively, we conduct research in microbial pathogenesis using the tools of molecular biology, genetic screens, cell culture, models of infection, molecular imaging, transgenic animals, and bioinformatics. Immunologists study the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms by which the immune response defends the host using innate and adaptive mechanisms. Microbiologists study the molecular mechanisms by which bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites colonize a host, evade the immune response, and elicit damage to the host. In 1963, the department's name was changed to the Department of Microbiology, and in 1979 the current name was adopted in recognition of the newly established section in immunology.Īs one of the earliest departments of its kind in the nation, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology has evolved from more than a century of pioneering excellence. Novy as the Department of Bacteriology, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology has come a long way from the petri dishes and microscope slides of Novy to the use of DNA microarrays, computational analyses, and genomics.