Molecular Biology and Microbiology

The program in this department acquaints medical students with the basic concepts of microbiology and molecular biology as they relate to the following areas: basic aspects of cellular function, general properties and diversity of the microbial world, and mechanisms of host-parasite interactions. These are taught in courses during the first and second years.

A number of advanced elective courses are offered by the department, and they are available to qualified students throughout the four years of training. In addition to the instruction of medical students, faculty members also provide an extensive program for training Ph.D. candidates. The department also participates in the M.D./Ph.D. program.

Members of the department are actively engaged in research programs dealing with a variety of problems in microbiology and molecular biology. They include molecular genetics of bacterial pathogens, mode of action of antibiotics and drug resistance, mode of action of toxins, intracellular organization of bacteria, molecular genetics of transcriptional regulation, initiation and termination of DNA replication, mechanisms of virus replication and gene expression, and mechanism of meiotic recombination in yeast.

The Molecular Microbiology Home Page