Award Data

PROJECT SUMMARY Klebsiella pneumoniae is an encapsulated human pathogen capable of causing a myriad of human infections. Recently, K. pneumoniae has also emerged as one the most common causes of secondary bacterial pneumonia in COVID-19 patients. Over the last 40 years, K. pneumoniae has evolved into two distinct pathotypes, known as classical K. pneumoniae (cKp) and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (h ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Cellular innate immune sensors, such as STING (STIMULATOR OF INTERFERON GENES), have evolved to detect microbial infection of the cell. STING controls the potent cytosolic DNA-stimulated innate immune pathways and is activated by cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) such as cyclic di-GMP and cyclic-di-AMP secreted by intracellular bacteria following infection. Alternatively, STING can be ac ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is the name given to describe a disorder where the ear is the target of an overactive immune system, causing symptoms of progressive hearing loss and/or dizziness. Most cases of AIED are accompanied by hearing loss and tinnitus that occur over a course of a few months1,2 that progresses rapidly to the second ear, indicative of AIED.3 There are cu ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the most common form of dementia in people less than 60 years of age, and the lifetime risk of developing FTD is 1 in 742. The overall disruption and accompanying economic and social costs of this disease are catastrophic, with estimated direct and indirect annual costs per patient totaling $119,654—nearly two times higher than costs reported for ...

Project Summary/Abstract1 Tuberculosis (TB), caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is a leading2 cause of mortality due to infection, globally. In 2019, 10 million people were newly diagnosed with TB and 1.53 million people died from the disease. As efforts to treat TB expand, the prevalence of infections caused by4 drug-resistant Mtb5 is increasing, in part due ...

ABSTRACT This research will ultimately advance human health by improving the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system infections including meningitis and encephalitis, where the causative pathogen is not identified in up to 50% of cases. These infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality; therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate patient mana ...

Abstract Ascribe Bioscience is developing a novel technology to prevent foodborne outbreaks caused by the consumption of edible sprouts. Sprouts are highly vulnerable to infection with human enteric bacterial pathogens at the seed stage. These pathogens then grow exponentially in the warm and humid conditions used for sprouting. Even low initial bacterial counts on seeds can result in unsafe micro ...

ABSTRACT Influenza infects 9 to 45 million people in the United States each year and results in 300,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide. Vaccination is the foundation of the global response to control and reduce the spread of Influenza; however, seasonal influenza vaccine efficacy ranged from non-statistically significant to 60% between 2011 and 2019.Vaccine efficacy is largely contingent upon properl ...

Novel assay to detect integrated HBV DNA in urine of chronic hepatitis B patients Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health concern. The CDC estimates that up to 2 million Americans are chronically infected with HBV. HBV infection causes acute and chronic hepatitis, the latter often leading to severe liver diseases such cirrhosis and HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-H ...

Project Summary / abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal of the human skin and an invasive pathogen, as well as the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) or sepsis in the United States. S. aureus has developed resistance against all known antibiotics. S. aureus infection is not associated with the development of immunity and, even with surgical and antibiotic therapy, rec ...