Research Programs
Our research is not easily categorized. Programs of investigation are interdisciplinary in nature and by design. There is a great deal of collaboration and interaction between labs, in spite of the number and wide-ranging interests of the faculty. A consensus is that the study of basic biological mechanisms at the molecular level will provide the greatest insight into the normal and pathological function of cells, tissues and organisms. The emphasis is on basic research, though much of the research is either human-health related or transferable into advances in medicine. Among the diseases being investigated at the molecular level are AIDS, Fanconi anemia, ataxia telangiectasia, cystic fibrosis, gastric ulcers, diabetes, amebiasis, autoimmune diseases, and various forms of cancer, such as T-cell leukemia, Kaposi's sarcoma, melanoma, and breast, gastrointestinal and prostate cancer.
Focus on: basic processes common to all cells, including chromatin structure and remodeling, DNA repair, replication and segregation at mitosis, the regulation of gene transcription, RNA processing and transport, the subcellular localization of cellular components, and membrane transport...
Focus on: molecular analysis of the control of lymphocyte growth and differentiation, structure and function of MHC molecules, genetic control of the immune response, the immune response to infectious agents, the nature of antigens, allergens and autoimmune diseases, and antigen-antibody interactions...
Focus on: molecular mechanisms of initiation and progression of infection by viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoan pathogens such as HIV, HTLV-1 and KSHV, Herpes simplex virus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Helicobacter pylori, E. coli, Entamoeba histolytica, and Candida albicans...
Focus on: mechanisms involved in how signals such as soluble growth factors and extracellular matrix molecules are received by plasma membrane receptors and transduced via signal transduction cascades to modulate the cytoskeleton and shape of cells, the expression of genes in the nucleus and the progression of cells through the cell cycle...
Centers and Interdisciplinary Programs
In addition to their departmental affiliation, many of the Microbiology faculty are members of one (or several) interdisciplinary programs which serve to provide a broad and extremely effective learning environment for students and faculty alike...
Funds to establish and maintain core laboratories have come from the Pratt Fund, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and several private foundations...
A wide variety of interdisciplinary training programs are available to promote research in a number of areas...