On June 7th, RTI International sat roundtable to discuss North Carolina’s role in Zika virus research and prevention. Representative David Price (NC-4) provided opening remarks. The discussion brought together leading researchers and policy makers to examine the science of Zika, the evolving response, research necessary to confront the virus, and childhood development implications. The first … Read more
Congratulations to M&I Professor Blossom Damania, who will replace Terry Magnuson as the Vice Dean for Research at the UNC School of Medicine. Blossom’s experience as Assistant Dean in the Office of Research during the last two years has prepared her for the many responsibilities that come with this important leadership role. Read more … Read more
M&I Professors Jeff Dangl and Balfour Sartor are featured in this news story about how the breadth of microbiome research at UNC fits with the National Microbiome Initiative (https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/12/fact-sheet-announcing-national-microbiome-initiative) announced last week by the the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Maximizing Microbiome Knowledge
I know that many of you will be sad to hear that John Schwab passed away on Sunday, May 1. John was a highly respected and beloved member of the M&I faculty from 1953 until his retirement in 1995. His research pioneered the use of experimental animal models to study how bacterial cell wall components … Read more
M&I faculty members Helen Lazear, Aravinda de Silva, Mike Cohen, and Ralph Baric are featured in an article and a podcast about the challenges facing scientists and health professionals as they confront Zika virus. Article: http://globalhealth.unc.edu/news/feature-stories/unc-researchers-vs-zika-outbreak/ Podcast: http://podcast.web.unc.edu/2016/04/21/episode-9-the-intersection-of-public-health-and-zika/
Check out the UNC Channel on LabTV (http://www.labtv.com/Home/Channels?instituteId=1655) to watch mini-documentaries on M&I faculty member Rita Tamayo and students/postdocs from her lab, including Brandon Anjuwon-Foster, Robert McKee, Erin Purcell, Adam Spaulding, and Ankunda Kariisa. They talk about what they currently study and why, how they got interested in microbiology, their long-term goals, and advice for … Read more
A new study from M&I Assistant Professor Helen Lazear, just published in Cell Host & Microbe, shows that mice lacking interferon α/β signaling can serve as a model of Zika virus disease. See the UNC News story at the link below. http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2016/april/new-mouse-model-to-aid-testing-of-zika-vaccine-therapeutics
A wide variety of external awards to M&I graduate students were featured at the Annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration on April 14 (http://gradschool.unc.edu/events/recognition/).
The Manire Awards for the most significant and impressive doctoral research projects are given in memory of Dr. G. Philip Manire, a friend and mentor to many people in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Phil served as Chair from 1966 to 1979, years that were marked by a major growth in faculty and international … Read more
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is pleased to announce that Jenna Honeycutt, PhD, is the 2016 recipient of the G. Philip Manire Graduate Student Excellence in Research Award. For her dissertation work in J. Victor Garcia‘s lab, Jenna clarified the human cell types infected by HIV. HIV causes AIDS by targeting cells of the … Read more
