The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

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Dr. Gerard Nau

After receiving his Bachelors degree in Microbiology from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Nau completed a combined MD, PhD in Immunology through the... < more>

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MGB's Dr. Bruce McClane has been the director of the MS-1 Molecular Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Course for the past 11 years.

The Evolution of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh has a proud history in advancing biomedical sciences. The history of the department lies with the Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology. Klaus Hofmann, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry from 1952-1963, was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of peptide hormones, including the first chemical synthesis of biologically active ACTH. While Chair of Microbiology from 1962-66, Nils Jerne perfected the Jerne plaque assay for antibody producing cells, work for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984. Julius Younger, former Chairman of Microbiology and subsequently Chair of the combined Departments of Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Biochemistry (MB2), was a key member of the Salk team that developed the first polio vaccine.

This department was subsequently lead by Joseph C. Glorioso in 1989. MB2 consisted of approximately 12 faculty. Two of these faculty members went on to become chairs at other universities and 6 members of the department retired over the next 6 years. With new recruitments, the research interests of the department became more interdisciplinary, and the department’s name was changed to Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry (MGB) in 1991 to more accurately reflect these interests. This change in name began a rebuilding process in the tradition of the innovative science of Drs. Hoffman, Jerne, and Younger that has resulted in one of the most diverse and dynamic departments at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In 2008, the name was changed again to the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG). As MGB matured into a broadly based research and teaching enterprise, greatly favoring microbiology, this most recent name change serves to more accurately describe the range of expertise of the faculty.

MMG has evolved to a department of over 40 primary and 29 secondary faculty members located in the Biomedical Science Tower. Since 1989, funding in the department has increased 14-fold and MMG is now among the top three NIH funded basic science department of genetics in the country. The department has greatly influenced the development of medical school teaching as Dr. Glorioso co-chaired a committee to completely rewrite the medical school curriculum to create problem-based learning and a highly integrated organ-based curriculum. In this new curriculum, basic and clinical teaching were brought together to provide the most complete understanding of biomedical principals. MMG also initiated the development of a new integrated, transdisciplinary graduate student curriculum to provide the greatest opportunity for students to choose from a broad menu of faculty and fields of study. Both of these changes made very substantial contributions that attract outstanding medical and graduate students. Compared to other departments in the School of Medicine, MMG continues to train significantly more graduate students and has contributed three areas of study that include Immunology, Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.

The department’s strong commitment to excellence in basic and clinical science extends to many other units of the School and larger Pittsburgh academic community. MMG has played a crucial role in the creation of the Department of Immunology, whose department chair Olivera Finn and its starting faculty were recruited by MMG; the Department of Computational Biology, having recruited its chair, and its initial faculty; and most recently, the Department of Developmental Biology whose initial faculty were recruited to MMG. MMG has also contributed to the growth of other basic and clinical departments and numerous centers and institutes including the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the Starzl Transplant Insitutute, and the Molecular Medicine Institute. Important recent examples include the newly formed Center for Vaccine Research, the Drug Discovery Institute, and the Molecular Oncology and Virology Programs at the Cancer Institute. MMG established the first Genomics and Proteomics Core Facility at the University of Pittsburgh and thus provided critical support to numerous research laboratories throughout the School of Medicine.

Historically, MMG has been responsible for teaching the basic science block of the first year medical school that involves courses in biochemistry, microbiology, genetics and biochemistry. Departmental faculty members are instrumental in the ongoing success of the medical curriculum, where they continue to make major contributions to the Basic Science Block Courses for the medical students. MMG faculty also have a major role in the teaching and mentoring of Ph.D. students in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program (IBGP), and have served for many years as leaders of the Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (BMG) and Molecular Virology and Microbiology (MVM) Programs within the IBGP. Our faculty members serve as role models for future scientists and physicians and take seriously their mentorship responsibilities. Students and fellows from MMG labs routinely publish their research in outstanding journals, present their science at international conferences and achieve positions at prestigious laboratories and institutions.