Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
Program in Microbial Pathogenesis
The development of effective vaccines and the discovery of antibiotics are the greatest public health successes in history. Despite these successes, infectious diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Fortunately, we are experiencing a resurgence in research focused on molecular microbiology and studies into host-pathogen interactions.
The Program in Microbial Pathogenesis within the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology was created to address the growing need for new therapeutics to treat infectious diseases. The Program brings together researches in both basic science and applied research to establish a community of investigators interested in discovery and therapeutic development. By combining Vanderbilt’s strengths in both basic and clinical science, we are poised to make numerous exciting discoveries in infection biology, and leverage these advances to develop new drugs to treat a variety of infectious diseases. For instance:
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Vanderbilt’s Center for Human Genetics Research provides investigators the opportunity to study the impact of human genotype on susceptibility to infection.
- The Vanderbilt Institute for Imaging Sciences permits the study of the host-pathogen interaction with unprecedented resolution.The Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology facilitates the discovery of novel chemical probes and antimicrobials and provides a pathway for Vanderbilt investigators to bring candidate therapeutics to the clinic.
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The Mass Spectrometry Research Center and the Genome Science Resource permit the study of microbes using both proteomics and genomics, enabling a snapshot of the subcellular machinery responsible for causing disease.
- Finally, numerous state-of-the-art Core Facilities dramatically expand our technical capabilities.
