David Mosser, Professor of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
His Research: Understanding how cells fight infectious disease and inflammation
Impact: Mosser has made some important discoveries about the human immune system that could lead to new kinds of drug treatment. [Read about it.]
The Players: A cell called a macrophage - which means "big eater"-- and cytokines, which alert the immune system to invaders. Both are good guys in our immune system, but Mosser has found that both have quirks that allow a disease call Leishmaniasis to thrive.
Discoveries: Discovered a new way to turn on a cytokine called Interleuken 10; Showed that Interleuken 10 is a major risk factor for the serious form of Leishmaniasis.
Why Science is Important to Real Life: "If you can't get a company interested in your research, you'll just be sitting here figuring out things in your lab and you won't be making a difference in human health."
On Molecular Science Today: "The science is moving at such an amazing pace, if you try to kick back and put your feet up for a minute, it will pass you by...In this business, you have to intellectually nimble. You have to go where the science takes you, like a cork riding down the river."
On Teaching at UM: "I made a conscious decision to do both teaching and research. The teaching is the most fun. You'd be amazed at the transition graduate students go through. They start just doing experiments, then have some success in the lab and get some confidence. They go from a caterpillar to a butterfly."
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Information provided by the Office of University Communications
