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A gloved hand holds a petri dish with streaked bacterial colonies, above a lab bench with stacks of plates and racks of capped test tubes
BMB PhD Program Research Themes

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

The immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining normal health by fighting infection and disease. Faculty in our program are engaged in understanding interactions between the immune system and pathogens including infectious yeast, bacteria and viruses, as well as the role of the immune system in preventing and combating cancer. 

The faculty below have a particular focus in this area. For other major themes, visit our program scope page.

Val Culotta

Valeria Culotta

Metal ions & oxygen radicals in biology & disease

Jennifer Elisseeff

Jennifer Elisseeff

Leveraging adaptive immunity for tissue repair

Elizabeth Jaffee

Elizabeth Jaffee

Pancreatic cancer vaccines and interception

Brittany Jenkins-Lord

Brittany Jenkins-Lord

Molecular consequences of cancer disparities

Sabra Klein

Sabra L. Klein

Sex differences & pregnancy effects on immune response

Anthony K. L. Leung

Targeting RNA regulation through poly(ADP-ribose)

Erika Pearce

Erika L. Pearce

Metabolic signals that regulate immune responses

Joel Pomerantz

Joel L. Pomerantz

Mechanisms of signaling in immunity and cancer

Sean Prigge

Sean Prigge

Metabolic pathways in malaria parasites 

Cynthia Sears

Cynthia L. Sears

Mechanisms of microbiota, microbiome, and cancer

Photini Sinnis

Photini Sinnis

Malaria: cell biology & transmission dynamics 

Kellie Smith

Kellie N. Smith

Unlocking the power of tumor-specific T cells

Fengyi Wan

Fengyi Wan

Investigating colonic health and diseases

Neeha Zaidi

Neeha Zaidi

Developing vaccines to treat & prevent pancreatic cancer