Dr. Victor Nizet, Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair for Basic Research at UC San Diego details some of the innovative approaches being used in his lab to fight infectious disease, namely, host-targeted immune based therapies. We discuss many of the major problems in infectious disease, including antibiotic resistance, novel drug mechanisms, and the challenges of developing sepsis therapies (and how the Nizet Lab is working to combat them).

Dr. Nathan, a leading expert in microbiology and immunology, summarizes one of the most pressing problems in medicine: antimicrobial resistance. We discuss the evolution of drug resistance pathogens as well as the scientific, public health, and business frameworks that govern this problem. We finally discuss how the UN can come together to build ethical frameworks to combat it.

Dr. Stanley Plotkin is often hailed as the ‘Godfather of Vaccines.’ His pioneering work has not only led to the development of the rubella vaccine—critical in eradicating rubella across the Americas—but also propelled breakthroughs in vaccines for rabies, polio, and anthrax. We discuss breakthroughs in vaccine development, reducing public skepticism in the age of social media, and the ethical frameworks of conducting research in vaccine development.