PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Microbiology and Immunology Training Program
Department of Comparative Pathobiology

Programs of Study
Postgraduate training programs for both the MS and PhD degrees are offered in the study of bacteriology, immunology, parasitology and virology.   Both degrees require independent research and preparation of an original thesis and require a minimum of two and four years, respectively. Course work is selected jointly by the student and his/her major advisor, with the advice of the individual graduate advisory committee, to suit the student's background, interests and research problem.  Formal course work may be selected from offerings within the Department of Pathobiology and from other departments within the University. Courses in general biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, microbial pathogenesis, statistical methods, bacteriology, virology and other discipline-based courses are often selected as part of individual plans of study. Assistance in preparation for Board Certification for the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine is available.

Stipend Support
Limited numbers of teaching and research assistantships are available on a competitive basis.  Opportunity for gaining teaching experience is provided for all students, regardless of the nature of their stipend support.

Research
The research focuses on the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and immunology of veterinary and human infectious diseases as well as the development of novel diagnostic tests, therapeutics and methods to prevent infections. Investigations are conducted at the whole animal, tissue, cellular, and molecular levels and are supported by electron microscopy, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and imaging facilities within the school.  Protein synthesis, hybridoma, DNA-sequencing, mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, transgenic mouse facility, and other state of the art technologies are available on campus.

The Indiana State Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory provides a significant resource in the practical training of individuals interested in specialty board certification, e.g. microbiology and pathology.

Eligibility
Applicants must hold the BS or DVM degree or equivalent training in the biological sciences and be admitted by both the Department of Comparative Pathobiology and the Purdue University Graduate School.

Applicants
We are particularly interested in recruiting women and minorities in our program because these groups are underrepresented in our professional disciplines.  Interested candidates should send letters of inquiry and requests for application forms to:

 Graduate Secretary
 Comparative Pathobiology Department
 School of Veterinary Medicine
 725 Harrison Street
 West Lafayette, IN 47907-2027
 Fax: 765-494-9830
 E-mail contact: lhudson@purdue.edu

 Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer/Educator

 

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J.W. Camp, Ph.D., Professor of Veterinary Parasitology and Secretary of Faculties. Epidemiology and ecology of parasitic diseases; parasite induced changes in morphology, physiology, and behavior of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts; Identification of peptide sequences related to apicomplexan protein from Sarcocystis neurona.

S.A. Crist, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor.

B.D. Elzey, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor.

H. HogenEsch, D.V.M., Ph.D.,Head, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Professor of Immunopathology.  Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists.  Mucosal immunology and mucosal vaccines; adjuvants; dendritic cells; immunobiology of the skin.

K.R. Kazacos, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor of Veterinary Parasitology; Director, Clinical Parasitology Laboratory.  Pathogenesis, pathology and epidemiology of parasitic diseases; immunobiology of helminth infections; parasitic zoonoses; visceral, ocular, and neural larva migrans; Baylisascaris spp.

Chang H. Kim, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunology. Current studies in
the lab include: 1. Roles of chemokine and chemokine receptors in
trafficking of leukocytes in normal and diseased conditions; 2. Chemokine
and chemokine receptors in forming immunity against pathogens and cancer
cells. 3. Regulation of gene expression during T cell development to
effector cells. Our favorite model cell types are various T cell subsets
(conventional and CD1d-restricted) and hematopoietic stem and progenitor
cells obtained from human and mice. for more information visit:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~kim17/index.html

T.L. Lin, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D., Professor of Veterinary Pathology; Senior Veterinary Diagnostic Pathologist, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.   Diagnostic pathology; molecular pathology and immunohistopathology of infectious, toxic and neoplastic diseases; and avian, swine, and fish, laboratory animal pathology.

S.K. Mittal, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D., Professor of Virology, University Faculty Scholar, Director of Laboratory of Gene Therapy, Microbiology and Immunology Section Head, Member of Purdue Cancer Center.   Viral expression vectors; recombinant vaccines; gene therapy; adenovirus; gene expression; role of adenovirus early region 1 and early region 3 in pathogenesis; mucosal immunity. Innate immunity, pandemic influenza including bird flu.

R.M. Pogranichniy, D.V.M., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Comparative Pathobiology. Veterinary diagnostic and infectious disease of production animals, emerging infectious diseases (diagnosis, pathogenesis, and vaccine development).

T. Ratliff, Ph.D., Director of Purdue Cancer Center. Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer, Immunotherapy of Bladder Cancer, Communication between innate and adaptive immune compartments via platelets, Prostate Inflammation, Bladder Inflammation.

P.W. Snyder, D.V.M., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Veterinary Pathology.  Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists.  Immunopathology; immunotoxicology; toxicologic pathology; developmental biology, environmental medicine.

R. Vemulapalli, M.V.Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Veterinary Immunology/Microbiology. Infectious diseases; microbial virulence factors; host immune responses; preventive and therapeutic vaccine development; immuno-modulation; bacterial vaccine vectors; nucleic acid vaccines; novel strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy.

C.C. Wu, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor of Veterinary Microbiology; Head, Bacteriology and Mycology Section, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Cellular and molecular mechanism of microbial pathogenesis; host-parasite interactions (humoral, cellular, and mucosal immunity); immunological and molecular detection and differentiation of microbial pathogens; recombinant and DNA vaccines; avian and swine infectious diseases (infectious bursal disease, turkey poult enteritis, mycoplasmosis, porcine pleuropneumonia, porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome, salmonellosis); cat scratch disease; and clinical microbiology (diagnostics and antimicrobial susceptibilities).