GW's Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine (MITM) conducts innovative, fundamental, basic and translational research for HIV/AIDS and neglected tropical diseases. MITM has a strong tradition of training and policy advocacy for these infectious and parasitic diseases, which initiate and perpetuate poverty and suffering worldwide.
Signature programs in the department focus on the study of HIV/AIDS, toxoplasmosis, helminth infections and helminth-induced cancers (see Research section).
MITM has created a sustainable foundation for long-term research and state-of-the-art training through the following core competencies:
- A core of 17 faculty members conducting research on HIV and neglected diseases of poverty with research articles appearing in the world's highest impact journals.
- A complex and multidisciplinary research portfolio with approximately $4.3 million annually in sponsored research supported both by federal and non-federal agencies.
- Dedicated research groups with a diverse range of expertise and skills, which are supported by an experienced administrative team, and specialized facilities able to support complex research initiatives.
- Educational curricula adapted for the needs of training a new cadre of microbiology/immunology and infectious disease researchers, physicians, and health professionals.
For the development of a novel, low-cost hookworm vaccine, MITM hosts the clinical immunology laboratory and clinical trials unit of the Sabin Vaccine Institute Product Development Partnership, (Sabin PDP), an Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute-funded partnership that transitions new vaccine antigens for neglected tropical diseases from discovery and product development into clinical trials and through the full clinical development cycle.
MITM also accommodates the GW Biorepository, a state-of-the-art resource for biospecimens and clinical data designed to assist investigators in their HIV/AIDS and cancer research.