Microbiology

Courses

MBIO 530a / IBIO 530a / MCDB 530a, Biology of the Immune System  Eric Meffre, David Schatz, Peter Cresswell, Jordan Pober, Joao Pedro Pereira, Ruslan Medzhitov, Craig Roy, Nikhil Joshi, Aaron Ring, Noah Palm, Kevan Herold, Carla Rothlin, and Carrie Lucas

The development of the immune system. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune recognition. Effector responses against pathogens. Immunologic memory and vaccines. Human diseases including allergy, autoimmunity, cancer, immunodeficiency, HIV/AIDS.
MWF 9:25am-10:15am

MBIO 561a / CB&B 561a / MB&B 561a / MCDB 561a / PHYS 561a, Introduction to Dynamical Systems in Biology  Damon Clark, Kathryn Miller-Jensen, and Jonathon Howard

Study of the analytic and computational skills needed to model genetic networks and protein signaling pathways. Review of basic biochemical concepts including chemical reactions, ligand binding to receptors, cooperativity, and Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics. Deep exploration of biological systems including: kinetics of RNA and protein synthesis and degradation; transcription activators and repressors; lyosogeny/lysis switch of lambda phage and the roles of cooperativity and feedback; network motifs such as feed-forward networks and how they shape response dynamics; cell signaling, MAP kinase networks and cell fate decisions; bacterial chemotaxis; and noise in gene expression and phenotypic variability. Students learn to model using MATLAB in a series of in-class hackathons that illustrate biological examples discussed in lectures.
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

MBIO 601b, Fundamentals of Research: Responsible Conduct of Research  Staff

A weekly seminar presented by faculty trainers on topics relating to proper conduct of research. Required of first-year Immunobiology students, first-year CB&B students, and training grant-funded postdocs. Pass/Fail.  0 Course cr
Th 5pm-6:30pm

MBIO 670a and MBIO 671b and MBIO 672b, Laboratory Rotations  Walther Mothes

Rotation in three laboratories. Required of all first-year graduate students.
HTBA

MBIO 680b, Advanced Topics in Tropical Parasitic Diseases  Christian Tschudi

An introductory topic-based course in modern parasitology. For each topic there is an introductory lecture followed by a journal club-like discussion session of relevant papers selected from the literature. The course provides an introduction to basic biological concepts of parasitic eukaryotes causing diseases in humans. Topics include strategies used by parasitic eukaryotes to establish infections in the host and approaches to disease control, through either chemotherapy, vaccines, or genomics. In addition, emphasis is placed on evaluating the quality and limitation of scientific publications and developing skills in scientific communication. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
MW 10am-11:50am

MBIO 685b, The Biology of Bacterial Pathogens II  Andrew Goodman

This interdisciplinary course focuses on current topics related to host-pathogen interactions. Each week a lecture is given on the topic, followed by student presentations of seminal papers in the field. All participants are required to present a paper.
MW 9:30am-11am

MBIO 686a, The Biology of Bacterial Pathogens  Eduardo Groisman

The course provides an introduction to basic principles in bacterial pathogenesis. Topics focus on the bacterial determinants mediating infection and pathogenesis, as well as strategies to prevent and treat diseases. Each week a lecture is given on the topic, followed by student presentations of seminal papers in the field. All participants are required to present a paper.
TTh 10am-11:30am

MBIO 700b, Seminal Papers on the Foundations of Modern Microbiology  Priti Kumar

A required course for Microbiology first- and second-year students; not for credit. The course is offered every other year, alternating with MBIO 703, so that it can be taken once during each student’s tenure in the program. Students present and discuss papers describing fundamental discoveries in areas related to microbiology. The goal is to familiarize students with the process of scientific discovery, and with the history of major developments in the field. Topics include important discoveries involving major human pathogens, fundamental processes in molecular biology, and the development of technology that has a major impact on current biomedical research.  0 Course cr
W 5pm-6:30pm

MBIO 701a and MBIO 702b, Research in Progress  Walther Mothes

All students, beginning in their third year, are required to present their research once a year at the Graduate Student Research in Progress. These presentations are intended to give each student practice in presenting the student’s own work before a sympathetic but critical audience and to familiarize the faculty with the research.
M 4pm-5pm

MBIO 703a and MBIO 704b, Microbiology Seminar Series  Walther Mothes

All students are required to attend all Microbiology seminars scheduled throughout the academic year. Microbiologists from around the world are invited to describe their research.
M 4pm-5pm

MBIO 734b / GENE 734 / MB&B 734b, Molecular Biology of Animal Viruses  Brett Lindenbach

Lecture course with emphasis on mechanisms of viral replication, oncogenic transformation, and virus-host cell interactions.
TTh 10am-11:30am