NextGen researchers profile: Haval Shirwan and Esma Yolcu // Show Me Mizzou // University of Missouri

Aug. 11, 2021

On paper, the work of University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers Haval Shirwan and Esma Yolcu appear to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum: one turns off the immune system and the other turns it up. But for Shirwan and Yolcu, professors of child health and molecular microbiology and immunology — and a husband-wife team — it all makes sense.

Through the NextGen Precision Health initiative, the duo is harnessing their diverse expertise in immunotherapy to treat diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. They will be among the first researchers to move into the NextGen Precision Health building when it opens in October.

In this video:

David Gozal, Mary M. and Harry L. Smith Endowed Chair of Child Health
Haval Shirwan, professor of child health and molecular microbiology and immunology
Esma Yolcu, professor of child health and molecular microbiology and immunology

NextGen Precision Health

Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of large-scale interdisciplinary collaboration, the University of Missouri System’s NextGen Precision Health initiative is bringing together innovators from across the system’s four research universities in pursuit of life-changing precision health advancements. It’s a collaborative effort to leverage the strengths of Mizzou and the entire UM System toward a better future for Missouri’s health. An important part of the initiative is the construction of the new NextGen Precision Health building, which will expand collaboration between researchers, clinicians and industry leaders in a state-of-the-art research facility.