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Harry Mobley, PhD, The Frederick G. Novy Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Michigan Medical School, stands with dozens of bacterial culture plates in his lab

Harry Mobley, PhD is developing a vaccine for urinary tract infection (UTI), which according to him affects nearly half of all women in their lifetime. Approximately four million women suffer from chronic UTI, making everyday tasks difficult for them due to nausea, vomiting, painful urination, and flank pain. His vaccine has worked in animal studies. It is being hindered, however, due to lacking pharmaceutical sponsorship since drug corporations do not see much profit in vaccines. “In the late 1990s pharmaceutical companies started abandoning vaccines,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine for gastroenteritis. “They [vaccines] are less than 10% of their revenue.”

Educational Background

Mobley earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Emory University. His doctorate in microbiology and immunology is from the University Of Louisville School Of Medicine. He is a professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology at the University Of Michigan.

Becoming a microbiologist was not one of Mobley’s major collegiate goals. It may have been complete chance that he chose this career, as he had a much larger interest.

"I was a soccer nut"

Mobley was raised as a soccer player in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a state champion in high school and went on to play at Emory University. His favorite part was “scoring game-winning goals; it was my job to score goals,” said Mobley.

Those goals were about to change from a ball in a net to organisms under a microscope.

A trip to the Centers for Disease Control for his sophomore microbiology class cultured Mobley’s interest in science. He thought it extraordinary that they could monitor nearly every disease in the country. He attended graduate school still unsure of his plans, but, “once I could design my own experiments,” said Mobley, whose first experiment supported his prediction, “I was hooked.”

Career

His career started at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, where his mentor studied UTI, a wide open field. Mobley moved to Michigan in 2004 to expand his work.

This vaccine is for strains of E. coli that cause UTI. His lab is awaiting pharmaceutical sponsorship before it can move to human clinical trials. Mobley said vaccines are costly to develop, and are usually administered one-time. According to Offit, “It’s not like Lipitor [a cholesterol lowering drug taken daily], which probably generates $13 billion per year.”

“Specific health problems are discriminated against because they aren’t profitable,” said Mobley. “It’s disappointing to four million women who have chronic UTI.” Mobley said the vaccine could be ten years away, but cannot be certain. His lab is working to accumulate more data to support the research.

Despite this current hardship, students keep Mobley optimistic about the future.

Mobley said one of the most rewarding parts of his career is training the next generation’s scientists, having formally trained 65. “He takes his time to provide guidance for all levels of training,” said Sargurunathan Subashchandrabose, one of Mobley’s current post-doctoral fellows, “and takes time to talk about designing projects all the way through.”

The work-life balance

Despite his numerous academic commitments, Mobley has always made time for his family.

“The work-life balance is critical,” said Mobley, who has an average workweek of 60 hours. He and his wife are supporters of the University Musical Society, usually attending one play a week. They attend every Michigan Basketball home game and many tournament games.

Their 28 year-old son inherited Mrs. Mobley’s love of music and became a composer. Anne, their 31 year-old daughter, embraced her father’s love of public health.

“My choice… was heavily influenced by my parents' careers: a microbiologist conducting research in academia and a nurse practitioner working with the homeless population,” said Anne, an epidemiology student at the University Of North Carolina Gillings School Of Public Health. “Through their example, my parents encouraged me to choose a profession that ultimately improves the lives of others.”

Mobley remains optimistic about improving the lives of millions of women suffering from UTI. “We know a lot more about bacteria that cause UTI than ten years ago,” he said. “We are approaching a time that we can better treat or even prevent them.”