Department of Pharmacology & Immunology

The Department of Pharmacology and Immunology at MUSC is a vibrant interdisciplinary hub, bringing together faculty expertise on a wide range of topics that include receptor biology, kinase signaling and regulation, G-protein regulation, redox biology, cardiovascular biology, cancer cell signaling, glycoprotein biology, neurodegeneration, cancer immunology, immunogenetics, innate immunity, inflammation, autoimmunity, microbiology, and transplant immunology. 

In fiscal year 2024, the department had just over $11 million in grants and contracts, including federal, federal flow-down, and foundation funds. This included 43 awards to 16 principal investigators. So far, in fiscal year 2025, 19 awards have been processed to 12 principal investigators, totaling $5.5 million.

The Department houses over $5M worth of spatial imaging equipment, scanners, sprayers, and data visualization workstations for sample preparation, image acquisition, and visualization. One of the Top Spatial Omics Research Groups in the US by resources and expertise has developed world-renowned robust multimodal single cell methods for glycomic and matrix imaging that are unbiased to species or disease states, allowing investigations to move from basic science to pre-clinical studies.

The Department of Pharmacology and Immunology consists of over 25 tenure-track faculty and four modified-track faculty. Faculty members hold three South Carolina Centers of Excellence Chairs, and funded programs emphasize strengths in signaling and drug development. Faculty explore a broad range of topics as outlined above. In addition, the department has an active mentoring program for junior faculty, which has served as a model for other departmental mentoring programs.

Research

The Department of Pharmacology and Immunology has a wide-ranging research portfolio that includes T cell biology and adoptive cellular therapy, neuroimmunology, autoimmunity, alloimmunity, infectious disease, redox metabolism, glycoproteomics, and multimodal spatial omics.

Other strengths in the areas of cancer pharmacology or immunology include T cell biology and metabolism, tumor microenvironment, target discovery, biomarkers, therapy, and the use of immune cells as a vehicle for therapy.

As a result of these research strengths, this newly formed department is anticipated to rank within the top 30th percentile nationally in terms of NIH funding.

Research Laboratories

Groundbreaking research is being conducted within the Department of Pharmacology & Immunology’s 20 laboratories. Award-winning faculty members have access to new or renovated laboratories, with access to core facilities that can serve as functional drivers for trainee research projects.

Departmental Cores & Facilities

Proteomics Center

The MUSC Proteomics Center is focused on clinical and translational proteomics and the development of centralized diagnostics. The center provides opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows to gain expertise that will prepare them for careers in academics or the pharmaceutical sector. The Proteomics Center includes a state-of-the-art MALDI-Imaging resource focusing on glycomics, supported by a strong group of leaders in the field.

Mass Spectrometry Facility

The Thermo Orbitrap mass spectrometer enables the high-resolution analysis of protein post-translational modifications, including glycosylation, S-glutathionylation, and phosphorylation. This new technology has supported growing research endeavors focused on identifying biomarkers in human pathologies.

Flow Cytometry

A department-dedicated 16-color flow cytometer.

Education

The graduate programs in the department are designed to train students in the rigors of scientific research, expose them to contemporary experimental approaches, and train them in the design and interpretation of experimental data. Students choose from core courses offered by the College of Graduate Studies, which provides didactic material that will prepare students for careers in academia, industry, and government research settings.