MPRI is primarily housed in the Biosciences Research Building (BRB) at the University of Maryland, College Park, where the entire top floor is dedicated to pathogen research. MPRI is administered through the Dept. of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics (CBMG) in the College of Computational, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), but includes researchers from multiple Departments and Colleges at College Park. In particular MPRI has key synergistic ties on campus with Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB) and the Department of Bioengineering. MPRI also has close ties with faculty at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) located on its sister campus at Shady Grove.

CMNS also runs several multi-user core facilities that house and maintain high-end, state-of-the-art instrumentation vital to the research activities of a broad spectrum of MPRI investigators. These facilities include: Advanced Genomics Facility; Biological Imaging and Cell Sorting Facility; Proteomics and Mass Spectroscopy Facility; and Scientific Computing.

The close proximity of the University of Maryland to governmental agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, the Biodefense Laboratories at Fort Dietrick and Fort Meade, as well as top research facilities such as Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI), National Children's Medical Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and over 300 biotechnology companies has greatly added to the strength and success of MPRI.

The University of Maryland at College Park has recently launched the Maryland Pathogen Research Institute (MPRI). On campus, MPRI brings a broad-based, multi-disciplinary approach to the research of pathogenic microorganisms. Consider the advantages of a graduate education at UMD:

• Internationally renowned faculty, including leaders in Bioinformatics/Genomics, Bioengineering, Host-Pathogen Interactions research
• State-of-the-art research facilities and equipment
• Comprehensive training program, with numerous course options, Ph.D. and M.S. tracks, weekly seminars and journal clubs, monthly group meetings, annual retreat
• Highly qualified, diverse student population
• Geographically desirable area — near Washington, DC and the National Institutes of Health Teaching assistantships
• Great campus, including the TERPS! and more...

To get specific information about UMD graduate programs in Host-Pathogen Interactions: Visit Here

The Research Advisory Board of MPRI includes leaders in Pathogen Research within the University of Maryland Affiliate Organizations:

David Mosser

Founding Director of MPRI; Professor, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. Ph.D., Immunology, North Carolina State University, 1983. Innate and adaptive immunity to microbial pathogens; regulation of cytokine gene expression in macrophages and dendritic cells; receptor-mediated modulation of cytokine production; development of novel anti-inflammatory therapies to treat autoimmune diseases.

William Bentley

Director, Bioengineering Graduate Program and Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor of Engineering. Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, 1989. Heterologous protein expression; cellular stress responses; insect cell/baculovirus systems; metabolic engineering; bioreactor optimization; biodegradation.

Rita Colwell

Professor Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies. Ph.D., Oceanography, University of Washington. Global infectious diseases, water and health.

Kevin McIver

Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 1994. Bacterial pathogenesis, biodefense.

In Addition, MPRI has developed an external Scientific Advisory Board consisting of top scientists, including:

Walter Dowdle, Ph.D., Ctr. for Dis. Control

Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., The Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med.

Diane Griffin, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Univ.

Peter Hobart, Ph.D., The United States Army Med. Res. Inst. for Infect. Dis.

Alan Sher, Ph.D., The Natl. Inst. of Health

Stefanie Vogel, Ph.D., The Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med.