||| EMORY ||| Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |||

FEATURED SCIENTIST

Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D.,
Director Emory Vaccine Center, GRA Eminent Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D. to the National Academy of Sciences. ELection to the NAS is one of the premier recognitions in science.

As one of the world's leading immunologists, Ahmed's groundbreaking discoveries on immune memory have laid the foundation for understanding vaccine-induced immune responses. His most recent work has focused on rejuvenating the immune response to chronic viral infections. This hold great promise for those infected with HIV/AIDS and other chronic infectious diseases such as hepatitis and tuberculosis, and it also has potential for treatment of cancers.

His team discovered that a chronic viral infection can "flip a switch" on the surface of critically important immune system T cells and effectively shut them down, a process known as cell exhaustion. They were able to flip these T cells back to the "on" position, enabling them to continue fighting infection. Strategies are now being perfected to stop chronic infections from flipping the switch in the first place. In the absence of cell exhaustion, ongoing active immune systems may have the ability to clear chronic infections in the same way the body fights the common cold.

WELCOME

Message from William Shafer, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG)
Thank you for visiting our web site; a clear indication that you have developed an interest in microbiology and want to learn more about obtaining a Ph.D. in this area of science. What can our graduate program offer you? What is unique about our program that distinguishes itself from other graduate programs both here at Emory and elsewhere? These are questions that I hope you are asking. First, we offer you the opportunity to develop into a scientist by learning the "language" of microbiology, develop the ability to critically read and critique the literature, and learn how "to do science". Neither this nor any other graduate program will result in your being a "finished product" when you earn your Ph.D. This takes time. It is our goal that our graduate students leave here not only with their doctorate, but also with a commitment to being a lifetime learner. By examining the research interests of the faculty you will notice that we are a diverse group of microbiologists. This is not surprising because microbiology has many sub-disciplines. Is there a common theme among our faculty? The short answer is that regardless of whether a group studies bacteria or viruses, we are all interested in what makes microbes "tick". We humans are in constant contact with microbes in our environment and a major effort or common theme for us is to understand the dynamics of this interaction with a concentration on the microbial side of the equation. I strongly urge you to do your "homework" in evaluating your opportunities for graduate study in our MMG program. Read papers published by the faculty. Even if you find it difficult to understand the details of the experimental design or results obtained, a cursory reading of the Introduction and Discussion sections of a manuscript often will give you a good idea regarding the work done in a laboratory. I also find it helpful for prospective students to contact faculty in order to learn more about our program so please feel free to e-mail me (wshafer@emory.edu) and other members of our faculty. We look forward to hearing from you!

Selected one of
"THE NEW IVIES"

S E M I N A R S

FALL 2009

All seminars are at 4 PM in the Whitehead Auditorium unless otherwise noted.

September 14, 2009
Richard Brennan, Ph.D., Professor and Robert A. Welch Distinguished Universtiy Chair in Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
"Structural mechanisms of bacterial multidrug binding and mdr gene regulation: how bugs escape drugs"

September 21, 2009
James E. Crowe, Jr., M.D., Ingram Professor of Research , Depatrtments of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center
Vanderbilt University
"Genetic and structural basis for neutralization of viruses by human antibodies"

September 28, 2009
Coleen Kraft, M.D., Fellow, Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Emory University Hospital
"Detection of intrasubtype HIV-1 superinfection in Zambian couples"

October 5, 2009
Heidi Goodrich-Blair, Ph.D., Professor. Department of Bacteriology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Talking to the animals: Xenorhabdus nematophila symbiosis with intertebrates"

October 12, 2009
Tim Read, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Director, Emory GRA Genomics Center
Emory University (MMG Faculty Candidate)
"Comparative genomics of biodefense agents"

October 19, 2009
Jeffrey N. Weiser, M.D., Professor, Departments of Microbiology and Pediatrics
University of Pennsylvania
"Clearance of Pneumococcal Colonization"

October 26, 2009 1:00 P.M. Whitehead Auditorium
Victor DiRita, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Title: "Mechanisms of chicken colonization by Campylobacter jejuni"

October 26, 2009
H. Steven Seifert, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology-Immunology
Northwestern University Medical School
"Mechanisms used by Neisseria gonorrhoeae to co-exist with the human innate and adaptive immune responses"

November 2, 2009
Michelle Swanson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Michigan
Title: "Legionella, a pathogen in search of its next meal"

November 9, 2009
Ryland Young, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biology
Texas A&M University
Title: "Phage lysis: two different three-step pathways to death"

November 16, 2009
Alasdair Steven, Ph.D., Senior Investigator, National Institurte of Health, NIAMS
Title: " Virus Capsids as Mechanosensors"

November 23, 2009
Jon McCullers, MD, Associate Member, Department of Infectious Diseases
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
"Bacterial super-infectious infections: the other side of influenza pathogenesis"

November 30, 2009
Ann C. Palmenberg, Ph.D., Professor Biochemistry and Director of the Institute for Molecular Virology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
"Rhinoviruses, asthma and the common cole. What we learned from sequencing every know genome"

December 7, 2009
Eduardo Groisman, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
"Differential control of bacterial gene expression"

FALL 2009

IBS 504 - Intro Prokaryotic Genetics
IBS 555 - Principles of Basic Biomedical & Biological Science
IBS 545r - Intro to Research
IBS 743r - Experimental Approaches to Microbiology
MMG 597r - Lab Rotations
MMG 792r - Colloquium in Microbiology

SPRING 2010

IBS 513 - Virology
IBS 545r - Intro to Research
MMG 597r - Lab Rotations
MMG 792r - Colloquium in Microbiology

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