Kennesaw State University Professor of Biochemistry Thomas Leeper has received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the university’s Office of Research Grand Challenges initiative. The funding will support research into new antibacterial treatments aimed at drug-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, bacterial diseases remain a significant global health issue, with five strains responsible for nearly 55 percent of all deaths from bacterial infections. Despite this impact, there is limited funding and resources dedicated to developing treatments.
“We’ve done a really good job in general with treating most cancers, but we have dropped the ball when it comes to treating microbial disease,” Leeper said. “Bacterial disease and viral infections should scare the heck out of people, and we hope to fix that.”
The project will focus on using proteins to combat harmful bacteria. Some drug-resistant bacteria can infect eukaryotic cells and evade common antibiotics. Leeper’s approach aims to use the natural nutrient intake systems of host cells to deliver new antimicrobial proteins directly to these pathogens.
“We’re always looking for new antibiotics, but resistance is outpacing it,” Leeper said. “My lab has been able to anticipate this problem by looking at strategies that would overcome the resistance-developing mechanisms.”
The grant will also fund a team that includes seven undergraduate students and a post-doctoral researcher. This effort is expected to expand the laboratory’s ability to pursue effective medicinal treatments.
Leeper is currently concluding a five-year National Institutes of Health grant focused on drugs for cystic fibrosis. He noted that the internal KSU grant will help enhance both personnel and equipment resources in his lab.
Co-investigators on the project include Jonathan McMurry, professor of chemistry at KSU’s College of Science and Mathematics, who has developed methods for delivering experimental proteins into bacteria; and Anton Bryantsev, associate professor of developmental biology, who uses fruit flies as model organisms for studying bacterial infections.
