UAB researchers say this study shows passive antibody therapy can dramatically reduce Zika virus infection in critical tissues that could potentially lead to decreased transmission of virus through sex and from pregnant mothers to their babies.

Digestion is often thought of as a simple process confined to the stomach; but the reality is far more intricate, as one UAB researcher shares.

T-bet expression is required for persistence of memory B cells that have rapid differentiation potential to become antibody-producing plasma cells in response to a second infection.

"How do we engage with people that we are supposed to be serving?" Dr. Frances Lund, director of the Immunology Institute, said at the Aspen Ideas Health in Aspen, CO on June 25, 2025.

The understanding of how macrophages regulate their response to toxic particles via two independent pathways could uncover therapeutic opportunities to quell inflammation.

Besides their normal role, pump overexpression confers drug resistance. Knowing the structure is a step to disabling the pumps with inhibitors.

UAB is a stronghold at finding patients for studies, but healthy controls were harder.

Very-low-weight newborns need extra oxygen and can develop deadly bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Differences in gut fungi predict getting, or not getting, BPD.

The David E. Wells Memorial Symposium, a longstanding tradition in the UAB Department of Microbiology, will be held this year on May 21.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024/2025 Multi-PI Awards, each funded with $150,000 per year for two years. These awards recognize outstanding collaborative research efforts aimed at addressing critical health challenges.

Elliot Lefkowitz, Ph.D., has pioneered a unique perspective at UAB on the study of viruses: analyzing them via computational techniques, otherwise known as bioinformatics. Lefkowitz and his eight-person lab play a critical role in providing tools to scientists around the world to aid them in analyzing data related to genomic sequences.

UAB’s new Lunaphore COMET multiplex immunofluorescent platform can hyperplex up to 40 antibodies on a single pathology tissue sample.

Fran Lund, Ph.D., director of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Immunology Institute, professor and Endowed Chair in Immunology in the Department of Microbiology, and senior scientist at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, was honored with the 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award on Tuesday, March 18 at the UAB Alumni House.

Nine faculty members recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) spring 2025 program. The program, presented by the UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office, recognized its graduates at a ceremony on March 13, 2025.

Viruses constantly emerge and evolve, with some posing significant threats to human and animal health, while others remain confined to specific species. A recently identified example of the latter is the Camp Hill Virus (CHV), named after its discovery site in Camp Hill, Alabama.

Juhi Samal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is a recent recipient of the COMET™ from the Heersink School of Medicine Immunology Institute for her proposed study, “Immune Cell Sialoglycan Signatures in Ischemic Stroke.”

Researchers identified that the dominant B cell epitope of Lachnospiraceae flagellins and the utilization of the flagellin peptide cytometric bead array can potentially advance the diagnosis and prognosis of Crohn’s disease.

Fran Lund, Ph.D., an internationally recognized scientist who has uncovered crucial additional roles for the immune system’s antibody-generating B cells, has been selected for the academic medical center’s highest faculty honor. Learn more about her career and current work in immune memory in this article.

Selene Meza-Perez, Ph.D., instructor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, has been named the latest recipient of the school's Featured Discovery award. This recognition celebrates notable research contributions made by faculty and highlights the impact of their scientific advancements.

Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., and Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., who collectively hold 23 patents, have been recognized for approaches to DNA sequencing and detection of impaired dark adaptation, respectively.