Microbiology and Immunology

The Division of Microbiology and Immunology at the Yerkes Research Center provides leadership, resources and training to advance molecular and biological approaches to understand, prevent and treat infectious diseases.

By using rodents and nonhuman primates to study the progression of disease and to test new treatments, Yerkes scientists provide the basic biomedical research that eventually will result in novel strategies for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in humans. Current research in the Division of Microbiology and Immunology focuses on vaccines and treatments for HIV and AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, smallpox and anthrax.

One of Yerkes’ foremost scientific goals is the development of an AIDS vaccine that will help end the global epidemic now affecting more than 42 million people. A leading HIV/AIDS vaccine, developed and tested by Yerkes' Chief of Microbiology and Immunology Harriet Robinson, PhD, and licensed to GeoVax, Inc., is in its second human clinical trial.

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