Main Body
Research Areas
Infectious Disease & Host Defense
- Virology
- Wadsworth scientists probe the mechanisms that viruses use to hijack a human host's replication machinery, causing diseases from AIDS to herpes virus. They examine viral proteins that help assemble genetic material into infectious particles and analyze how changes in these proteins allow SARS coronavirus and other pathogens to adapt to new hosts. West Nile virus researchers concentrate on the ecology and evolution of the virus and its insect vectors, while clinical virologists test for West Nile infection. The clinical program also conducts outbreak investigations, performs surveillance, develops assays for emerging pathogens and collaborates with the World Health Organization to detect the earliest appearance of new strains or subtypes of influenza. Other laboratories chart the prevalence and spread of viruses in alternate hosts including rabies in bat species.
- Immunology
- The immune system sometimes misses the mark, either failing to mount a response against foreign elements, or mistakenly targeting host cells, leading to multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. Wadsworth investigators parse the immune system, studying its component cells and the mechanisms involved in host defense against bacterial and viral infections. Researchers consider factors that modulate immune response, including diet, aging, hormones and genetic makeup. Avenues for novel therapeutics are assessed, such as the properties of mucosal antibodies that inhibit infection and the structure of immune molecules that mediate a protective response. Staff develop assays to measure specific serum antibody levels for emerging and newly epidemic diseases, among them Powassan encephalitis, Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis.
- Bacteriology
- The study of bacterial pathogens incorporates conventional and molecular diagnostics, surveillance, strain typing and research. Investigators focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis to understand how the bacterium that causes tuberculosis lies dormant within the lungs, then overcomes the host's immune defenses and initiates disease. Wadsworth scientists develop and validate molecular tools to detect and identify bacteria in complex clinical and environmental samples, methods that have helped address disease outbreaks caused by E. coli 0157:H7 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This expertise also aids in the assessment of biothreat samples for infectious agents that may have been deliberately disseminated. Naturally occurring outbreaks are tracked with DNA typing (or bacterial fingerprinting) to confirm links between organisms causing human disease and their implicated presence in food or other products. This information is incorporated into a national database to proactively identify outbreaks that may affect neighboring states.
- Parasitology & Mycology
- Fungal and parasitic infections that debilitate the young, aged and immunocompromised patients, especially those with AIDS, highlight the need for more effective treatments. Wadsworth researchers study yeasts, molds and other medically important fungi using recombinant DNA technology and animal models to understand how the pathogens cause disease. Their ultimate goal is to identify genes or proteins useful for diagnosis or development of novel drugs. Similarly, scientists investigate pathogenic parasites to find metabolic pathways or cellular components that may serve as parasite-specific drug targets. Parasitic protozoa of particular interest are the causative agents of malaria, toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis, the latter a potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal illness. Traditional and molecular diagnosis of molds, yeasts and parasites from clinical specimens and the environment is performed, as well as more complex confirmatory testing.