Critical analysis of current research areas in microbiology and related fields. Central topics will be covered seriatim by the staff. Students will present in rotation their analyses of pertinent scientific literature. Two conference hours per week.

This course examines the molecular basis of cancer and how environmental and hereditary factors cooperate to elicit the transformed phenotype and promote cancer progression. It is team taught by both basic scientists and clinical faculty, providing students with an introduction to clinical presentation, progression, and outcomes; genetic/cellular/tissue drivers of oncogenesis and metastasis; and therapeutic challenges for the treatment of cancer

This course builds on MICR8040, Fundamentals in Cancer, to expand your understanding of the molecular basis of cancer. This course will expose you to non-tumor cell autonomous drivers of cancer in addition to continuing to further develop your knowledge of major contributors to cancer.  Topics will include cancer cell metabolism, hormone receptor signaling, tumor angiogenesis, the plethora of cells in the tumor microenvironment, and metastasis.

This module will cover the different components of the adaptive and innate arms of the immune system with a focus on development and molecular pathways regulating these processes. Prerequisite: Previous Immunology class or permission of the instructor

This module will cover how the diverse components of the immune system are integrated and how this integration influences further maturation and differentiation of elements of the immune system under physiological and patho-physiological conditions. This will include responses to different types of pathogens. Prerequisite: Building Blocks of the Immune System

This foundational module will cover fundamentals of the biology of bacteria and viruses. Bacteriology topics to be discussed include bacterial physiology, genetics, and gene regulation, and how these and other features impact drug discovery and pathogenesis. Virology topics to be discussed include virus structure and assembly, viral replication, viral genetic regulation, virus/immune interactions, and applications of viruses in 21st century.

For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director.