Overview

Home to a medical school, a veterinary medicine school, a college of agricultural and life sciences, and state diagnostic labs, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is responsible for an unusually large portfolio of biological research. UW–Madison researchers work with pathogens for several reasons:

To learn about basic biological and disease processes for both common and extraordinary ailments.
To provide diagnostic and surveillance information about the presence of pathogens of concern within the state of Wisconsin.
To develop treatments and vaccines to protect humans, animals and plants from diseases that pose risks to public health and the food supply.
To forecast and head off the threat of potential crises caused by viruses, bacteria and other high-risk pathogens.

A national leader in research expenditures, UW–Madison employs more than 500 scientists who lead research teams working with biohazardous materials. More than 80% of these teams work with microbes or infectious agents, with many having received the training and regulatory approval to conduct research that requires rigorous biosafety standards.

A man wearing a mask gestures as he presents in front of projected screen which reads 'Does highly pathogenic H5N1 virus have the ability to be transmitted by aerosol or respiratory droplets (airborne transmission)? — Yoshihiro Kawaoka, professor of virology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, gives a presentation during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute. Photo: Althea Dotzour