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The Committee on Microbiology
The Committee on Microbiology is an educational program
for graduate students towards the Doctor of Philosophy degree in
Microbiology, as well as a research and teaching enterprise in the
Pritzker School of Medicine and the College of The University of
Chicago. The College of the University of Chicago offers an
undergraduate concentration in the study of microbiology.
Microbiology is a field of science that examines
microbial life forms, their physiological properties and structures as
well as their ability to cause human, animal or plant diseases.
Microbes exist as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa or parasites -
all of which are studied by microbiologists. The identification
of
microbial life forms in the 19th century and their rigorous study in
the 20th century led to a revolution in medicine and science. The
field
of microbiology is responsible for doubling human life expectancy in
the past fifty years and for dramatically reducing human morbidity
caused by infectious diseases. These advances were made possible
through achievements in anti-microbial therapy, vaccine development and
the enforcement of antiseptic and hygienic principles.
Microbiology has
led to the prevention of plant disease, increasing crop yields and food
supplies for people around the globe. Further, microbiology has
revealed the principles of heredity and molecular biology through the
study of bacteria and bacteriophages. These achievements are
well-recognized and the Committee on Microbiology provides
undergraduate, graduate and medical students with teaching, diagnostic
procedures and research training in microbiology.
Past
achievements of microbiology are not permanent successes! We have
witnessed the development of bacterial strains that are multiply
resistant to all known anti-microbials, creating emergency situations
in American hospitals. We have learned that new pathogens emerge
continuously and need to be identified, studied and treated with
anti-microbials that we are challenged to identify. We have
observed
the threat of biological warfare, employing the most dangerous
microbial pathogens as tools of terror or war. Each of these
topics
require a sustained effort in research excellence to maintain the
acquired standards of therapy and disease prevention and the reduced
levels of human morbidity and mortality. Future research in
microbiology will need to identify new anti-bacterial therapies by
exploiting knowledge of genes that are required for pathogenesis but
not for replication outside the host. Microbiology research will need
to identify anti-viral therapies and vaccination strategies that combat
some of the most dangerous and abundant disease of human
societies.
Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in the third world
and their therapy requires strategies that are distinct from those of
more advanced societies. Parasites are a leading cause of disease
and
death in subtropical and tropical countries, however research efforts
everywhere must contribute to combating human diseases such as malaria,
sleeping sickness, river blindness and worm infestations.
Microbiology
has provided the scientific tools for advances in molecular biology and
in the genetic analysis of human disease. Microbiology will need
to
provide the research and therapeutic tools required to cure human
inheritable diseases by supplying techniques for genetic exchange.
Modern microbiology is a flourishing science at The
University of Chicago; we attract excellent students and post-graduate
scientists from around the world and these young scientists push
further the frontiers of microbiological sciences. Although
microbiological science is an accomplished discipline at The University
of Chicago, the Committee on Microbiology is a brand new enterprise and
it will expand further in the next five years with the recruitment of
several new faculty and the completion of new research space.
Using
this website, please inform yourself about our research accomplishments
and opportunities as well as our educational
programs. The Committee on
Microbiology is an energized cutting-edge research enterprise and a fun
place to do science. I invite you to become a part of the
Committee on
Microbiology!
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