Immunology of Infectious Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The study of infectious diseases and immunology is intimately linked. All pathogens must interact with and evade the host immune response, at least for some period of time, to establish infection and cause disease, the immune system exists primarily to fend off intruders, primarily microbes. Therefore, the study of (infectious disease must include an understanding of the host responses, and the study of immunology ultimately centers on detecting and eliminating microbial agents. Although this interaction seems very clear, in practice researchers studying microbes have not always had a comfortable knowledge of immunology, and vice versa. It is the goal of this Training Program in "Immunology of Infectious Disease" to train future scientists to feel comfortable in both worlds, to understand and apply microbiology and immunology to the study of dangerous and emerging pathogens, and to employ research strategies that bridge both fields. In particular, this will be important for research on the immunology and pathogenesis of microbial agents that have the potential to be used in biological warfare. The next generation of scientists must be ready to address emerging and new pathogens as they arise, either naturally or in the context of biodefense. This Training Program is designed to attract the very best students and post-doctoral fellows for training in this area, linking two programs within the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program, Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Immunology. The training faculty includes scientists from numerous departments in the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, and the Undergraduate Faculty of Arts and (Sciences. Training will take advantage of the structure of our existing graduate programs, as well as (courses, seminar series, and journal clubs already in place. In addition, new courses and seminar series designed for study of emerging pathogens and bioterror agents are in development. This training program interfaces well with the evolving emphasis on biodefense research here at the University of Pittsburgh. Our goal is to train scientists to study infectious diseases from both the microbiologic and immunologic perspectives, and to approach problems of emerging or biowarfare agents with creativity and practicality for development of novel and effective treatment and prevention strategies.