Medical College of Wisconsin Microbiology & Immunology Research

Microbiology & Immunology research spans a broad range of interests including viral and bacterial infection and pathogenesis, inflammation and immunology, enzymology and metabolism, molecular genetics, and signaling and gene expression. Our faculty address questions at the cellular and molecular level, using contemporary technology and approaches. Our faculty maintain research laboratories located within the Basic Science Building, the Children's Research Institute, the Versiti Blood Research Institute, the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund Center, the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes, the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, and the Center for Infectious Disease Research.

Research Areas

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Bacteriology and Bacterial Pathogenesis

Joseph Barbieri Laboratory
Specialty: Bacterial toxins, bacterial pathogenesis

Kenneth Brockman Laboratory
Specialty: Microbial pathogenesis, bacterial gene regulation, host-microbe interactions

Jenifer Coburn Laboratory
Specialty: Tick-borne diseases, Borrelia infections, Spirochaetales infections

Dara Frank Laboratory
Specialty: Bacterial toxins, bacterial pathogenesis

Jessica Kelliher Laboratory
Specialty: Microbial pathogenesis, cellular microbiology, bacterial physiology

John Kirby Laboratory
Specialty: Xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes, microbial interactions, computational biology

Christopher Kristich Laboratory
Specialty: Antibiotic resistance, bacterial genetics and physiology, bacterial signal transduction, and intestinal colonization

Robert Lochhead Laboratory
Specialty: Lyme disease, host-pathogen interactions, inflammation, autoimmunity

Nita Salzman Laboratory
Specialty: Antimicrobial peptides, host-microbe interactions in the GI tract, microbiota in health and disease

Cancer Biology

Michael Dwinell Laboratory
Specialty: Pancreatic ductal carcinoma, cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment, mucosal inflammation

Vera Tarakanova Laboratory
Specialty: Cancer-associated viruses

William Drobyski Laboratory
Specialty: Graft vs host disease, bone marrow transplantation, inflammation and immunology

Bryon Johnson Laboratory
Specialty: Cancer immunotherapy

Subramaniam Malarkannan Laboratory
Specialty: Basic biology and clinical utilization of NK cells, cancer immunotherapy

Xue-Zhong Yu Laboratory
Specialty: Tumor immunology, immunotherapy, Graft-versus-host disease

Immunology and Inflammation

Bonnie Dittel Laboratory
Specialty: Immune regulation and homeostasis, regulatory B cells

Michael Dwinell Laboratory
Specialty: Pancreatic ductal carcinoma, cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment, mucosal inflammation

Amy Hudson Laboratory
Specialty: Viral immune evasion, membrane trafficking, human herpesvirus 6, human herpesvirus 7

Jessica Kelliher Laboratory
Specialty: Microbial pathogenesis, cellular microbiology, bacterial physiology

Robert Lochhead Laboratory
Specialty: Lyme disease, host-pathogen interactions, inflammation, autoimmunity

Michelle Riehle Laboratory
Specialty: Malaria vector biology, genetics of susceptibility, microbiome and immunity

Vera Tarakanova Laboratory
Specialty: Cancer-associated viruses

Yi-Guang Chen Laboratory
Specialty: Immunogenetics of type 1 diabetes

William Drobyski Laboratory
Specialty: Graft vs host disease, bone marrow transplantation, inflammation and immunology

Martin Hessner Laboratory
Specialty: Type I diabetes, innate immunity

Bryon Johnson Laboratory
Specialty: Cancer immunotherapy

Subramaniam Malarkannan Laboratory
Specialty: Basic biology and clinical utilization of NK cells, cancer immunotherapy

Debra Newman Laboratory
Specialty: Thrombosis, hemostasis, immunology and vascular biology

Nita Salzman Laboratory
Specialty: Antimicrobial peptides, host-microbe interactions in the GI tract, microbiota in health and disease

Eillen Tecle Laboratory
Specialty: Caenorhabditis elegans and C. elegans

James Verbsky Laboratory
Specialty: Primary immune deficiency, immune dysregulation syndromes

Demin Wang Laboratory
Specialty: Signal regulation of B lymphopoiesis

Calvin Williams Laboratory
Specialty: T cell development, regulatory T cell biology, mucosal tolerance

Renren Wen Laboratory
Specialty: T- and B-cell activation and immune system/coagulation pathways

Xue-Zhong Yu Laboratory
Specialty: tumor immunology, immunotherapy, Graft-versus-host disease

Microbiome

John Kirby Laboratory
Specialty: Xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes, microbial interactions, computational biology

Christopher Kristich Laboratory
Specialty: Antibiotic resistance, bacterial genetics and physiology, bacterial signal transduction, and intestinal colonization

Michelle Riehle Laboratory
Specialty: Malaria vector biology, genetics of susceptibility, microbiome and immunity

Nita Salzman Laboratory
Specialty: Antimicrobial peptides, host-microbe interactions in the GI tract, microbiota in health and disease

Xue-Zhong Yu Laboratory
Specialty: tumor immunology, immunotherapy, Graft-versus-host disease

Martin Hessner Laboratory
Specialty: Type I diabetes, innate immunity

Parasitology

Michelle Riehle Laboratory
Specialty: Malaria Vector Biology, Genetics of Susceptibility, Microbiome and Immunity

Viral Infection and Pathogenesis

Amy Hudson Laboratory
Specialty: Viral immune evasion, membrane trafficking, human herpesvirus 6, human herpesvirus 7

Vera Tarakanova Laboratory
Specialty: Cancer-associated viruses

Scott Terhune Laboratory
Specialty: Host-pathogen interactions, cytomegalovirus

Andrey Sorokin Laboratory
Specialty: Cell signaling related to pathobiology of kidney diseases, BK virus

Center for Immunology

The aim of the Center for Immunology is to advance research in immunological disease mechanisms through the development of an interactive pipeline between basic and clinical research with the ultimate goal of developing therapeutic strategies that are applied in the clinic.

Learn more about the Center for Immunology

Center for Infectious Disease Research

The mission of the Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) is to enhance research efforts that focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis related to infection with all types of microorganisms, viruses, fungi or parasites.

Learn more about the Center for Infectious Disease Research

Center for Microbiome Research

The Center for Microbiome Research is dedicated to providing specialized resources for translational and basic research endeavors on the microbiome.

Learn more about the Center for Microbiome Research