Immunology and Molecular Microbiology

A Message from the Department Chair
Afzal Siddiqui, M.Phil., PhD.

Welcome to the Department of Immunology & Molecular Biology. Our Department has a rich history of research and discovery in the basic, clinical and translational sciences. Our goal is to work towards improvement of health worldwide through the pursuit of excellence in research and training of medical and graduate students in infectious diseases; cancer immunology and epigenetics; and tropical medicine of public health importance. We apply the world’s most innovative science to the world’s worst diseases, with the eventual aim to develop novel diagnostics; and prevention and treatment tools for important diseases.

The department is currently comprised of 7 full-time faculty, 22 adjunct graduate faculty and we are actively recruiting new faculty. The Department serves as the host for The Center for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and is part of a major collaborative endeavor for sequencing and genotyping of SARS-CoV-2 variants in West Texas. The research in the Department is currently funded through major grants from the National Institutes of Health, Horizon 2020/European Union, the Wellcome Trust, the CH Foundation, the RIGHT Fund and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

We invite you to learn more about our outstanding programs in our Department.

Our faculty contribute to their personal fields of research, working to expand the understanding of immunology and molecular microbiology. In addition to their individual research pursuits, they're eager to work with external collaborators. The following outlines their current interests:

Sharilyn Almodovar-Camacho, Ph.D.	Robert Bright, Ph.D.
Cellular sources of HIV in chronic pulmonary disease Microenvironment in the pulmonary microvasculature: Implications in HIV disease progression HIV evolution in the lung in people using recreational drugs Refinement of animal models for HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension and other infectious diseases HIV evolution after COVID-19Long COVID in rural areas in Texas	Tumor vaccines Immune check point/ tumor vaccine combination Tumor antigen/ marker discovery & characterization Tumor antigen specific T cell epitope characterization
Abdul Hamood, Ph.D.	Dawei li, Ph.D.
Pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during bacteremia in severely injured/infected patients Pyocins as alternative antibacterial to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections Influence of blood on the transcriptomes of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens Innovative approaches to eradicate bacteria biofilms	Genomic data-analyses (genome, transcriptome, methylome, etc.) from raw (FASTQ/BAM) files. Integrative multi-omics analyses, transposable element analyses, and other genomic/bioinformatics analyses or development. Design, develop, and implement new bioinformatics pipelines. Method and software comparisons and benchmarking of available tools.
Afzal Siddiqui, PhD, MPhil, MS	Mumtaz Yaseen, Ph.D.
Parasitology Vaccine discovery, development and testing for human parasite Schistosoma mansoni Stronglyloides stercoralis hyperinfection	Cause natural killer (NK) cell expansion Prime cytotoxic CD8 T cell activation Release of type I cytokine mainly IFNγ, TNFα, and IL15 Developing CARs against parasitic infections

The Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology integrates several different disciplines (immunology, bacterial pathogenesis, virology, parasitology and molecular biology) to provide students with a unique educational experience leading to a PhD degree concentrated in Immunology and Infectious Diseases. This multidisciplinary concentration is one of six major programs offered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

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The Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology houses the Image Analysis and Molecular Core Facilities.

Almodóvar Receives NIH Grant to Study Pulmonary Hypertension in HIV Patients

February 22, 2024

Across the globe, more than 39 million people are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, including more than 1.3 million new HIV diagnoses last year. The majority of those afflicted — approximately 76% — have access to antiviral therapy that allows them to live with HIV as a chronic disease... continued on TTUHSC Daily Dose.

Immunology and Molecular Microbiology

A Message from the Department ChairAfzal Siddiqui, M.Phil., PhD.

Abdul Hamood, Ph.D.

Dawei li, Ph.D.

Afzal Siddiqui, PhD, MPhil, MS

Mumtaz Yaseen, Ph.D.

Almodóvar Receives NIH Grant to Study Pulmonary Hypertension in HIV Patients

Afzal A. Siddiqui, M.Phil., PhD.

Department of Immunology& Molecular Microbiology

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A Message from the Department Chair
Afzal Siddiqui, M.Phil., PhD.

Department of Immunology
& Molecular Microbiology