Vaccination efforts over the past century have provided numerous benefits for society, such as the ability to travel and meet friends and family during the holidays. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only reminded us all not to take these vaccines for granted, but also provided a glimpse into the future where the spread of warmer … Read more
Matthew Wolfgang, associate professor of microbiology and immunology and member of the Marsico Lung Institute, has been granted a UNC Creativity Hubs Pilot Pre-Proposal Award by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. The Creativity Hubs Award program was formed to foster multidisciplinary research for the development of novel discoveries and unique solutions to … Read more
Inhalon Biopharma Receives $7 Million from USAMRDC to Study Inhaled “Muco-trapping” Antibody for the Treatment of COVID-19 DURHAM, N.C., May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Inhalon Biopharma, a start-up immunotherapy company developing an inhaled “muco-trapping” antibody platform for treating a variety of acute respiratory infections (ARI), today announced that it has been awarded a $7 million contract … Read more
Engineered antibodies trap and immobilize human sperm in the reproductive tract of female sheep, paving the way for possible use as a nonhormonal contraceptive in people. Currently, most available birth control options are barrier methods or rely on hormones to prevent fertilization of an egg—both of which have drawbacks, such as discomfort or side effects, … Read more
Jason Whitmire, PhD (Professor, Department of Genetics, Department of Microbiology & Immunology), was awarded a Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Investigator-Initiated Research Award by the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity of the Department of Defense (DoD). This four year award titled “Pathogenic T Cells in Guillain Barre Syndrome”, is a collaborative project with … Read more
UNC has expanded its partnership with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua-León (UNAN) to include the development of a PhD program housed at UNAN. Many M&I faculty, trainees and staff recently participated in the PhD program, including Aravinda de Silva, PhD, Ralph Baric, PhD, Helen Lazear, PhD, Nilu Goonetilleke, PhD, Laura White, PhD, and Maria … Read more
Kizzmekia Corbett, who graduated with her Ph.D. from UNC Microbiology and Immunology in 2014, is the scientific lead for a project at the National Institute of Health (NIH) to develop a vaccine against the new Coronavirus. You can find more information about Dr. Corbett’s current project in the following article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/health/coronavirus-vaccine.html Please join us in … Read more
Suruchi Shrestha, a doctoral candidate in Sam Lai’s lab, has earned a Predoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutics from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation. Suruchi’s dissertation topic is “Engineering multimeric sperm-binding IgG antibodies for potent non-hormonal female contraception.” These multimeric IgGs combine the benefits of both IgM and IgGs, namely enhanced agglutination potency … Read more
Jenna Beam, a doctoral candidate in Brian Conlon’s lab, is the UNC-Chapel Hill Three Minute Thesis (3MT) People’s Choice winner (determined by audience votes). Jenna and nine other UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students presented their research in front of a large audience and panel of judges – and with only three minutes for their presentations – on … Read more
Congratulations to the following Microbiology & Immunology students who have recently received awards both within the University and externally. Lakeya Hardy, a doctoral candidate in Dr. Wesley Burks’ lab, was recently awarded entry into the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Graduate Diversity Enrichment Program (GDEP). The GDEP supports underrepresented Ph.D. candidates enrolled in a North Carolina university … Read more
