UBC Science has been awarded $3.2 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), including support that will enable researchers to investigate how Staphylococcus aureus--the bacteria underlying drug resistant staph infections--acquires a key nutrient.
The projects--five in total in the Faculty of Science--were included in the most recent round of CIHR's Operating Grant funding, approved last week.
UBC microbiologist Michael Murphy will lead a new CIHR-funded project investigating how microorganisms acquire and safely store iron--a key nutrient for bacterial growth and survival.
"Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus have to overcome major hurdles when they colonize a host--including finding scarce iron to feed on, and storing that iron safely when they do find it," says Murphy. "By studying how bacteria make, secrete and reuptake iron binding siderophores, we may be able to understand how to better combat the bacteria, and even trick it into importing antibiotics instead of iron."
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus--also known as the superbug--refers to any strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics called the beta-lactams, which include the penicillins and the cephalosporins. The rapid spread of MSRA in both community and hospital settings has accelerated the need for understanding this pathogen's virulence repertoire for the development of new therapeutic approaches.
Other newly funded projects in the departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Chemistry and Zoology will delve into a range of areas, including DNA synthesis, the causative agent of whooping cough, and the role calcium channels play in lymphocyte activation and associated autoimmune disorders.
UBC Science Funded Projects
How is the epigenetic landscape re-established after DNA synthesis? Hugh Brock, Professor, Zoology
DNA is packaged by many different kinds of proteins, which establish a local environment that allows genes to be active, or inactive. However, proteins have to be re-assembled on newly synthesized DNA. This project will increase our understanding of the re-establishment process, errors in which can lead to developmental defects and cancer.
$681,395 over five years
Bordetella pertussis Lipid A Rachel Fernandez, Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
This project will investigate an integral component of bacterial surfaces called lipid A in Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, and how small changes in the component influence immune responses. The work will contribute to the basic knowledge on how a fundamental building block of an important bacterial surface structure is made, and how the host responds to it.
$587,255 over four years
Characterization of Functional L-Type Calcium Channels in Lymphocytes Wilfred Jefferies, Professor, Microbiology and Immunology and Biomedical Research Centre
Lymphocytes are an immune system cell that usually help fight off infection, but can also be activated inappropriately, resulting in autoimmune disorders. This project will investigate the role calcium channels plays in lymphocyte activation, and could identify new drug targets that would allow researchers to block inappropriate immune activation that causes diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.
$337,447 over three years
Proteomic Analysis of Platelet-Monocyte Aggregate Formation and Function Juergen Kast, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Biomedical Research Centre
The formation of platelet-monocyte aggregates is a marker of cardiovascular disease, which if untreated can lead to stroke or heart attack. This project will develop a detailed understanding of how these platelet aggregates are formed, and how they interact with the surface of blood vessels to elicit their damaging physiological effects. The team will use proteomics--a new approach that enables the high-throughput analysis of proteins in a biological system.
$561,120 over five years
Structure function analyses of bacterial staphyloferrin systems Michael Murphy, Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
This project will investigate a key iron transport system in Staphylococcus aureus, which causes debilitating and life threatening infections, including drug resistant strains. Iron is essential for the growth of almost all human pathogens, and bacterial iron acquisition systems are recognized generally as virulence factors.
$1,031,050 over five years
More About CIHR
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s agency for health research. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
For more information on CIHR, visit: www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
