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INSTITUTE FOR BASIC BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES Fundamental research that drives advances in medicine
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View Institute Events
Please check this page frequently for information about IBBS seminars and major IBBS symposia.
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Basic Science Departments
Among nine basic science departments, more than 150 faculty make discoveries to transform medicine.
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Core Services
The Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences is home to several centralized fee-for-service facilities open to all researchers at Johns Hopkins and beyond.
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Research Centers
Several research centers are supported by the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences.
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Meet our Faculty
Learn about the research of more than 150 faculty members affiliated with the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences.
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A Historical Guide to Pandemic Responses
The first in a series of short essays act as “signposts” to highlight historical research on prior responses to rapidly spreading disease among populations. Exploring the world’s previous experience with epidemics and pandemics, these posts aim to help a general audience learn how past responses offer enduring lessons for the future.
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The Weird Way Coronaviruses Assemble Their Offspring
Most coronaviruses invade cells much like other viruses, such as influenza, which merges its envelopes with the surface of unsuspecting cells to release genomes into the cell. Once inside, the viral genome is replicated and forms an army of new viruses. The newly formed influenza viruses assemble and bud from the cell surface, ready to invade other cells. However, coronaviruses take a different route of assembly and escape from their host cell. They use the pancakelike structure in cells, called the Golgi complex — a kind of post office for the cell that sorts and processes proteins and spits them out of the cell after enclosing the proteins in a compartment called a vesicle. Cell biologist Carolyn Machamer, Ph.D., has been studying how coronaviruses assemble in the Golgi body and then stow away in vesicles to be shipped outside of the cell.
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Image of the Month: T-Cell Army
This image reveals how tumor cells produce antigens that are captured by the immune system. Dendritic cells process these antigens and present them to the body's T cells, activating them. Once this process happens, the T cells multiply and locate the tumor, releasing factors to kill it.
Announcements
Brain Research Awards
Neuroscientist Ulrich Mueller, Ph.D., and postdoctoral fellow William Olsen have received awards from the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative. Mueller received an award for his research exploring accessible technologies for neuron reconstruction, and Olsen’s is for his research examining neuron activity during jaw movement. Read more.
Recognition for Cell Biologist
Cell biologist Erika Matunis has been selected as a 2019 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Fellow. They will be recognized at the ASCB and European Molecular Biology Organization meeting in December. Read more.
A Pioneer Award
Biomedical engineer Jennifer Elisseeff received a 2019 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award in recognition of her research on regenerative immunotherapy for tissue repair. The award is part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program and recognizes scientists who show creativity in approaching major challenges in biomedical, social science and behavioral research. Read more.
Devreotes Gets Top Award
Cell biologist Peter Devreotes has been awarded the 2019 E.B. Wilson Medal from the American Society for Cell Biology. The award is the society’s highest scientific honor and is awarded annually to a member who has made significant contributions to the field of cell biology. Read more.