October 30, 2008
UW and WSU researchers target the science behind infectious diseases
It’s not unusual to see news headlines related to salmonella outbreaks, avian flu concerns or mad cow disease. Food recalls remain common in the United States, too. To help avoid salmonella and other bacteria, public health experts caution consumers to wash their hands before preparing a meal, and to make sure food is cooked long enough to kill potentially harmful microorganisms.
But researchers at the UW and Washington State University are also focused on the science behind these problems, and what science can do to help alleviate or maybe even eliminate them.
“We’re focused on understanding basic mechanisms of pathogenesis, or how some of these pathogens cause disease and how we might, by understanding them, combat them,” said Dr. Sam Miller, UW professor of medicine, and director of the Northwest Regional Center for Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research. Combating these diseases includes the development of new drugs that would fight disease in both animals and humans, Miller said.
Miller will discuss some of his latest research in the infectious diseases realm on Thursday, Nov. 6, as part of Life Sciences Research Week, presented by the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research and the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association. He will be joined by Dr. Guy Palmer, director of WSU’s School for Global Animal Health, and Dr. Jacqueline Sherris, vice president of Global Programs at PATH.
The event will be held in 130 Kane. Register for this free event at http://washbio.org/cde.cfm?event=232008.
