The Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC), founded in February 2013, is an interdisciplinary research cooperative at Clemson University. It stands at the forefront of biomedical research on eukaryotic pathogens, which are the causative agents of some of the most devastating and intractable diseases of humans including malaria, amoebic dysentery, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and fungal meningitis.
Many Heads Better Than One
We appreciate the value of collaborative research. The shared infrastructure of the Life Sciences Facility provides a unique environment for critical inquiry and scholarly exchange and fosters an atmosphere of team-work, mentoring, and informal peer-review. We share our knowledge. The members of EPIC participate in international meetings and publish prolifically. We learn from others. EPIC researchers collaborate with scientists at other institutions across the country and throughout the world.
Our Ideas Are Getting Funded
The bulk of the center's funding is derived from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Over the past decade, EPIC researchers have secured ~$6 million dollars in federal funding. However, in today’s setting of increasing competition for federal dollars, collaborative partnerships with industry and private foundations are also being sought.
A Legacy
We appreciate that research impacting global health should never stop. Therefore, we are creating a legacy of scientific inquiry by training the next generation of scientists. Our faculty members serve as mentors to junior faculty, post-doctoral research fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students in Clemson’s Departments of Biological Sciences and Genetics and Biochemistry.
