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    Probing the mysteries of human health and disease.

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    Collaborative research environment harnessing leading-edge technology and training.

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    Multidisciplinary program to train the next generation of biomedical scientists.

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    Vibrant biomedical research campus situated in the beautiful Sonoran Desert Ecosystem.

A multidisciplinary PhD program focused on outstanding scholarship in the fields of immunobiology, molecular biophysics, and cell biology

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Over 50 Faculty and 30 PhD Students

The Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) and Immunobiology (IMB) graduate programs have merged to create a new PhD program called the Graduate Program in MOLECULAR MEDICINE (GPMM). The GPMM at the University of Arizona is an interdepartmental, multidisciplinary training program fosters the development of scientists and educators who are prepared for lifelong participation in research and other intellectual pursuits. With an emphasis on bridging basic and translational science, Molecular Medicine students receive advanced training in the theory and practice of biomedical science. There are opportunities to investigate human health and disease ranging from biophysical studies at the atomic level, to modeling critical cellular process in tractable systems, to clinical research. The exposure and skills that students acquire prepare them for careers in biomedical research (including academia and the biotechnology industry), science education, journalism, and public policy.

Cell Biology

Cell Biology

To provide students with a foundation for understanding the cellular underpinnings of human health and disease, while advancing the field through hands-on, cutting-edge research.

Medical Biophysics

Medical Biophysics

Apply quantitative multi-disciplinary approaches to molecular and integrative biology with a goal to understand the biophysical basis of health and disease mechanisms, identify drugable targets and contribute to Precision Medicine.

Immunobiology

Immunobiology

Advance the insights into the rules of engagement that determine the outcome of host-pathogen interactions to develop future therapies for infectious, autoimmune and malignant diseases.

News

Dr. Vercelli's research mentioned in the Washington Post (September 30, 2019)

Work from Donata Vercelli, PhD's laboratory recently featured in the Washington Post shows that living in traditional farming environments means living in a place that is extremely rich in microbes — the right microbes that our immune system has evolved to live with and learn from. The constellation of organisms found in soil and on farm animals programs how a child responds to allergens throughout her lifetime.


Maggert Lab publishes heterochromatin study in PNAS (September 16, 2019)

A majority of the human genome consists elements called transposable elements – the fossils of evolutionary battles between ancient viruses and their human hosts. The human genome silences these elements by creating a specialized structure called heterochromatin on top of them. Dr. Keith Maggert and graduate student Farah Bughio's study in PNAS shows that heterochromatin is not as stable and reliable a protector as was previously thought, and instead turns on and off randomly and repeatedly throughout life, allowing transposable elements the freedom to once again move around the genome and cause damage.
Dr. Ledford awarded NHLBI grant to study the link between airway infections and obstructive lung disease (September 4, 2019)

Asthma and COPD are the most commonly diagnosed chronic lung diseases in the United States. While it is now recognized that a percentage of severe asthmatics develop fixed airway obstruction, little is known pertaining to the basic underlying mechanisms of this progression. Dr. Ledford's research will examine the role of club cell secreted protein (CC16) in the context of airway infection as a previously overlooked link in understanding this progression. These studies may provide a novel therapeutic approach for treating individuals with low circulating CC16 in order to prevent lung function decline over time.
Drs. Cress and Rogers awarded $2.8 million Special Initiatives Provocative Questions Grant (August 27, 2019)

Anne Cress, PhD, and Gregory Rogers, PhD, received the prestigious NCI Provocative Questions Initiative grant to study molecular mechanisms of genomic alterations that contribute to early stages of prostate cancer initiation and progression. As co-PIs of this multi-PI (MPI) award, they lead an investigative team that includes Drs. Noel Warfel and Ray Nagle to investigate a link between hypoxia and organelle instability.