Microbiology and Immunology
What kind of research are we doing?
The Microbiology program has over the years developed and conducted research that spans a wide range of projects in prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiology. In 2021, the program was renamed to Microbiology and Immunology in order to better reflect the programs activities.
Topics are infection biology and protozoa, genomics and evolution of unicellular eukaryotes, antibiotic resistance and cost/benefit issues, RNA biology, bacterial and eukaryotic regulatory RNAs, the CRISPR-Cas adaptiveimmune system and its application, bacteriophages, toxin-antitoxin and contact-dependent growth inhibition systems, and more. Model organisms primarily but not exclusively used in these studies include Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Mycobacteria, Giardia lamblia, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Dictyostelium discoideum.
The Microbiology and immunologi program is headed by Professor Fredrik Söderbom and consists at present of nine research groups. For more information on research projects and personnel, see their respective web pages. The PI's/ group leaders and PhD students are strongly dedicated to, and involved in, teaching of various courses at all levels, and two of the Pi's have been appointed excellent teachers.
Members of the program are associated with SciLifeLab Uppsala, URRC (Uppsala RNA Research Center), and a NordForsk network on noncoding RNAs.
Research groups
- Fredrik Söderbom: (program director): Small regulatory RNAs in social amoebae - functions during development and infection
- Anders Virtanen: (director of PhD studies, delegated FUAP) RNA PolyA /Exoribonuclease/Function
- Erik Holmqvist: Bacterial small RNA
- Gerhart Wagner: (professor emeritus) Regulatory RNA in bacteria- biological functions and mechanisms of action
- Jon Jerlström-Hultqvist: Symbiotic mechanisms in protists living in oxygen-depleted environments
- Lars Hellman: (professor emeritus) Allergy/vaccines
- Sandra Kleinau: Immunology and autoimmunity
- Sanna Koskiniemi: (delegated Head of department, director of studies first cycle) Understanding bacterial interactions
- Staffan Svärd: (deputy vice-rector, deputy dean) Parasitic protozoa - biology and disease mechanisms
About us
Head of the programme: Fredrik Söderbom
Visiting address: Husargatan 3, 752 37 Uppsala
Postal address: Box 596, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden