Our research tackles basic science problems related to emerging and familiar infectious diseases. In our laboratories, we engage you in collaborations to study many types of microbes — including significant human pathogens — and how they cause and advance infection. Our findings lend valuable insight to the development of new anti-microbial therapies.
Our research on bacterial pathogens focuses primarily on how these simple, single-celled organisms successfully cause disease. We study the pathogenesis in different host tissues of both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
Our research on pathogenic eukaryotes focuses on the basic biology of these complex pathogens, such as protozoan parasites and fungi, and host interactions in response to their infection.
Our immunology research intersects with explorations of various disease-causing pathogens, incorporating molecular processes, cancer immunology and infectious disease. We study host immune responses to parasitic and microbial infection. We also explore immunity and immune regulation at mucosal sites, mucosal vaccine adjuvants and vaccine development.
We study a wide variety of viruses, including papillomaviruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). We focus on basic molecular mechanisms. In the long term, we aim to understand viral infection and reactivation, prevent viral infection and develop anti-viral therapies.