2012

Mike Cohen speaks at 2012 Commencement

M&I Professor Mike Cohen gave the UNC Commencement Address on Sunday, December 16th. The talk featured his trademark humor and touched on how his life and research have depended on collaboration, taking chances, and tenacity. Read a transcript of his remarks at the link below. Myron Cohen December Commencement Address

Lishan Su named as AAAS Fellow

The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has announced that Lishan Su, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, has been selected to be a 2012 AAAS Fellow. Each year, the Council considers thousands of nominations from all branches of science and selects Fellows from those whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement … Continued

NIH funding of UNC’s M&I Department now at record high

While most NIH grant paylines have been stuck at historical lows for years, our Department has just reached its highest level of NIH funding: $14.1 million in 2012, ranking us 6th among our peers (i.e., microbiology/immunology departments at public universities). Since the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research started compiling these data, this is the … Continued

Baric and Heise Labs: Viral infections in the context of natural genetic diversity

Ralph Baric and Mark Heise have been awarded a five-year, $21.4M NIAID grant entitled “System immunogenetics of biodefense pathogens in the Collaborative Cross…”

Mike Cohen elected to the Institute of Medicine

M&I faculty member Mike Cohen (J. Herbert Bate Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice Chancellor Global Health) is one of 70 new members elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). This is just the latest in a string of honors for Mike, who headed the clinical trial (NIAID HPTN 052) that was named by … Continued

International scientific collaboration: A video interview with Dirk Dittmer and Blossom Damania

Blossom and Dirk discuss a new initiative of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; click here to find out more.

Rawls Lab: Gut Microbes Make for Fattier Fish

That’s the title of a preview article for a new Cell Host & Microbe paper, “Microbiota Regulate Intestinal Absorption and Metabolism of Fatty Acids in the Zebrafish,” from co-corresponding authors John Rawls and Steven Farber…

Jobin Lab: Changes in microbiota may lead to colorectal cancer

A study recently published in Science illustrates important relationships between inflammation, gut microbiota, and tumorigenesis…

Ting Lab: Inhibition of inflammation via novel NLR protein

In the August 5th edition of Nature Immunology, Jenny Ting’s group reports the identification of a novel NLR protein that inhibits an important inflammatory pathway…

Margolis lab: Understanding HIV latency

David Margolis’s group, in collaboration with Alan Perelson’s lab in Los Alamos, has been trying to understand the persistence of HIV infection despite treatment with antiretroviral drugs…

Tisch Lab: New antibody therapy may reverse progression of diabetes in NOD mice

Roland Tisch’s group has discovered an immunotherapy that appears to be able to reverse the development of Type I diabetes in mice…

Damania Lab finds target in metabolic pathway for non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Researchers in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology have identified possible targets in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR metabolic pathway that could be used in the fight against non-Hodgkin lymphoma…

Ankunda Kariisa awarded ASM Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship

Congratulations to Ankunda Kariisa, a graduate student in Rita Tamayo’s lab, on being selected by the American Society for Microbiology as a recipient of the highly competitive Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship…

Awards at the 2012 ASM General Meeting

Congratulations to Department students and faculty who were featured award recipients at the mid-June General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology…

Aadra Bhatt and Bonnie Gunn receive G. Philip Manire Graduate Student Excellence in Research Awards

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is pleased to announce that Aadra Bhatt, a graduate student in Blossom Damania’s lab, and Bonnie Gunn, a graduate student in Mark Heise’s lab, are the 2012 G. Philip Manire Graduate Student Excellence in Research Award recipients…

Four M&I Faculty Retirements coming up in 2012

After serving our Department for decades, four senior faculty are retiring this year and will join our Professor Emeritus ranks…

Congratulations to M&I 2011-2012 Graduates!

Eight M&I graduate students completed their PhD during this academic year, and the doctoral hooding ceremony took place at the Dean Smith Center on May 12…

Please join us on May 23 to welcome new graduate students to M&I

We’ve reached the time of year that the newest BBSP students select a dissertation lab and a graduate program to join…

Annual Immunology T32 Symposium

The Annual Immunology T32 Symposium will be held Thursday, July 12th…

M&I will move to new space in 2013

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology is planning to move out of its 35-year home in the Mary Ellen Jones Building…

Rukie de Alwis named as a member of the Royster Society of Fellows

Adamberage (Rukie) de Alwis was named as a member of the Royster Society of Fellows. As a member this society, Rukie will have a chance to act as an ambassador for graduate education both at UNC and abroad…

De Silva lab makes a breakthrough on human Dengue Virus responses.

The Dengue virus has been primarily studied in mouse models in order to gain an understanding of how the virus infects and then how the immune response clears the infection. The lab of Dr. Aravinda de Silva is leading a breakthrough on the understanding of human responses in Dengue virus infections. In collaboration with Vanderbilt … Continued

Congratulations to Micro students honored at the Graduate School’s award recognition ceremony.

The Microbiology department would also like to congratulate ALL the departmental graduate students who have also received other awards…

Congratulations to Kari Debbink for her first place Oral Presentation for the 2012 University Research Day.

Each year students from all disciplines across campus come together for University Research Day…

Congratulations to Aadra Bhatt on being named a G.E.A.B Impact Award Winner!

The Microbiology and Immunology Department continues its trend of excellence for the second year in a row, as the Graduate School’s Graduate Education Advancement Board (GEAB) announced Aadra Bhatt (Ph.D student in the Blossom Damania lab) as one of the recipients of their Impact Awards…

UNC HIV research is named as the Scientific Breakthrough of the Year by Science Magazine.

Science magazine has named the clinical trial (NIAID HPTN 052) led by UNC professor Myron Cohen, M.D., as the scientific breakthrough of the year…