Research Projects

Theme 1

RP002 Nikolich-Zugich

The essence of this project is to test whether there are common, unifying defects that cause older adults to suffer from, and succumb to, infections, including those inflicted by agents of bioterror and by emerging microbes. The other possibility is that each microbe, or a family of microbes, will reveal different critical defects. This will provide vital knowledge on how to approach biodefense against such microbes: if common defects are found, we should be able to test and discover general intervention strategies to boost immunity in older adults (and, possibly, other vulnerable populations) against all microbes. Alternatively, we may have to devise treatments and vaccines against individual groups of microbes.