Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology

The Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology at SIU Medicine is dedicated to cutting-edge research that contributes to innovative advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of medical diseases.

Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology at SIU Medicine. Our faculty, graduate students and medical students are involved in discovery-based, forward-thinking biomedical research that supports future generations of scientists, providers and health care leaders.

Our research innovations focus on areas of interest including tumor cell growth, viral and bacterial infections, the human gut microbiome and the role of immune function in reproduction and cancer.

Our faculty

The faculty at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is focused on educating the region's top physicians, researching new models of care, and providing expert clinical services that address the health care needs of central and southern Illinois.

See the department

RESEARCH

SIU earns elite Research 1 status in national rankings

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Southern Illinois University has joined the nation’s top research institutions. The university has been designated a Research 1, or R1, institution in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing it among the top 5% of research universities in the country.

SIU labs can bring the THUNDER with new 3D imaging microscope

June 2, 2025

A new microscope at SIU School of Medicine can quickly make the invisible visible. The THUNDER Imager TM , a highly advanced technology now in use at SIU’s Core Research Facilities, lets scientists

A Torry Testimonial

May 23, 2025

SIU scientist Andy Wilber know Dr. Don Torry well, and believes he personifies the '3 Ts of research' at the medical school.

Building while battling headwinds

May 22, 2025

Dr. Don Torry’s career reads like a classic academic success story: a small-town kid from Washington, Ill., rises through the ranks to become a leading researcher in reproductive immunology. But behind each achievement lies a more complex narrative familiar to scientists: dealing with the unexpected.