Information

Mission Statement

MITM was established in the year 2000 in order to pursue a three-fold mission:

  • To advance knowledge through basic and translational research;
  • To develop and test new biologics (vaccines and diagnostics) for infectious and parasitic diseases;
  • To provide advanced training in the microbiology and immunology of infectious and parasitic diseases.

The MITM mission has strengths in the area of parasitic and tropical diseases and health problems that occur in developing countries. This includes efforts to develop and test new health products, e.g., vaccines and diagnostics, as well as to implement control programs using existing drugs for parasitic diseases. Therefore, MITM also has an important service mission to work with national health ministries, international health agencies, and NGOs on tropical disease control efforts overseas. The efforts in developing countries are conducted jointly with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington DC.

In addition, through government and private contracts, MITM is home for a new Institute of Translational Research; Development for developing new biologic products to combat infectious diseases in North America and Europe, including products for biodefense.

With the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MITM hosts a new M.S. Program in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infections.

MITM Major Areas of Emphasis

Our Department has four major areas of emphasis, namely

  • Parasitic infections
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Immunology to infection
  • Biotechnology

In the area of parasitic diseases, MITM is a critical arm of the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative, a product development partnership based at the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington DC to develop recombinant vaccines for human hookworm infection and other helmintic infections. In 2005-2006, the Sabin Vaccine Institute completed process development, cGMP manufacture and Phase 1 clinical testing on the Na-ASP-2 Hookworm Vaccine. MITM also conducts fundamental basic research on several parasitic diseases including hookworm infection, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis. Major faculty members involved in studies on parasitic diseases include Profs. J. Bethony, M.E. Bottazzi, A. Brown, S. Constant, D. Diemert, G. Goud, J.M. Hawdon, P. Hotez, I. Khan, N. Noben-Trauth, and B. Zhan.

In the area of HIV/AIDS, MITM has a program in molecular virology leading to the development of novel compounds for therapeutic use. Prof. M. Bukrinsky heads the MITM molecular virology program.

In the area of immunology, MITM conducts both basic immunological studies (Profs. S. Constant, I. Khan, D. Leitenberg, N. Noben-Trauth) and human immunological studies (Prof. J. Bethony), particularly in the areas of parasitic diseases, viral diseases, and autoimmune diseases (allergy and arthritis).

In the area of biotechnology, MITM has unique process development capacity for the scale up production of recombinant proteins expressed in yeast and bacteria. These studies are conducted under a quality umbrella that includes quality control and quality assurance capabilities. The process development unit, under the direction of G. Goud, has a proven track record for successfully transferring processes to cGMP manufacturing units. Critical to these efforts is strong project management under the direction of Prof. M.E. Bottazzi. In 2006, MITM established an Institute of Translational Research and Development in order to expand its capacity for developing new biologics and vaccines to include not only products for developing countries, but also products for infectious diseases in the developed world and for biodefense.

Department History

The Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University was launched in 2000. Unlike many medical school microbiology departments, MITM has a strong translational focus with emphasis on disease in developing countries. In this sense, the Department builds on a strong legacy of tropical disease research at the George Washington University—at the dawn of the 20th century Walter Reed served as one our first professors of bacteriology, arriving shortly after his important medical discoveries on the transmission of yellow fever in Cuba. From 2000 to the present, the Department has grown to 12 full-time regular track and research faculty, with major programs targeting a number of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, human hookworm infection, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and toxoplasmosis. In 2004, MITM, together with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics launched an innovative M.S. Program in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infections.

Since its inception, MITM has had a unique relationship with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington DC. Together MITM and the Sabin Institute are working to develop new vaccines for neglected tropical diseases, and to develop innovative strategies for neglected tropical disease control that combines preventative chemotherapy with vaccination. In 2005, this collaboration resulted in the successful production of the Na-ASP-2 Hookworm Vaccine, which has recently completed Phase 1 clinical trials. Peter Hotez, the Chair of the Department of MITM also holds the position of President-Elect of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

In 2006, MITM established a new Institute of Translational Research and Development in order to leverage the process development and quality control facilities based at GWU in order to produce recombinant biologics to combat infectious and parasitic diseases for both developing and developed countries.

MITM therefore has established a tradition of both basic and translational research and applied biotechnology for some of the world's most important infectious and parasitic diseases.