About the Department
The department of Microbiology and Immunology is in charge of teaching several courses for the general pharmacy program including basic microbiology and immunology, clinical microbiology, pharmaceutical microbiology, biotechnology, parasitology, pathology, and public health. After introducing the clinical program in 2007, two courses on cell biology and pathophysiology were added to the department teaching-load. All the courses include lectures and practical sessions. The student evaluation is based on three exams i.e. written, practical and oral. The department staff strived to establish a research facility in the department. Step by step, the basic devices and instruments of a modern microbiological lab were brought. A laminar airflow clean bench, balances, ovens, shakers, autoclaves, basic chemicals and media were necessary to prepare the laboratory for basic research activities. By 2014, new devices have been introduced such as PCR, horizontal and vertical gel electrophoresis units, centrifuges and microtiter plate readers. We have a commitment to continue the effort to have an up-to-date microbiology lab. Research in the department deals with several topics within clinical microbiology. The research goal is to investigate the prevalence of microbial pathogens in clinical isolates and determination of the antimicrobial sensitivities of the isolated pathogens. Other research lines are also adopted such as the study the microbial degradation of soil contaminants, production of bacteriocins and screening for novel antibiotics as well as the study of phages and phage lytic enzymes. Research on enzymes of industrial values has also been done such as characterization of pectinases enzymes.
Mission & Vision Statements
Mission Statement
To participate in qualification of competitive pharmacists and researchers
Vision statement
The department of microbiology and immunology aims to achieve excellence in the education process of the undergraduate pharmacy students. This comes in line with the university’s vision of achieving national distinction among the Egyptian universities. To that end we are dedicated to the three following goals.
Goal 1: Providing high quality programs of undergraduate and postgraduate study. Although the laboratory and research facilities need to be improved, the department staff will work to enhance its facilities and efficiently utilize its available resources. New and innovative ideas will be sought to compensate for some shortage of facilities. For example, courses in bioinformatics and online learning can be tried beside the conventional wet labs.
Goal 2: Encouraging the basic and applied research and continuous development of the research quality to reach the international levels. More specifically, the department will aim to produce scientific research that be published in renowned and high impact factor journals. We will enhance the postgraduate students’ abilities to pursue their goals, by guiding them to develop some necessary skills such as critical reading and presentation of scientific articles, social scientific networking, and being globally aware life-long learners. The department staff members are encouraged to travel abroad to various universities worldwide to gain knowledge and experience.
Goal 3: Provide a local service for Beni-Suef community by providing expertise in microbiological issues. The department aims to positively contribute to solve the microbiology-related public problems such as combating infectious diseases and reducing the antibiotic resistance problems.