KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State University biochemistry professor Thomas Leeper was awarded a $200,000 grant to develop antibacterial treatments targeting drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.
The grant, provided through KSU’s Office of Research Grand Challenges initiative, will support Leeper’s research over the next two years.
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The project aims to create novel antimicrobial proteins that can combat bacteria which have developed resistance to common antibiotics.
“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 in a statement, highlighting the need for more focus on bacterial infections.
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The research will involve a team of seven undergraduate students and a post-doctoral researcher, funded by the grant.
The professor’s lab is working on strategies to overcome resistance mechanisms in bacteria, which have been outpacing the development of new antibiotics.
Leeper’s co-investigators include Jonathan McMurry, a professor of chemistry at KSU, who has developed a process for delivering experimental proteins into bacteria, and Anton Bryantsev, an associate professor of developmental biology, who uses fruit flies as model organisms to study bacterial infections.
KSU said Leeper is also close to the end of a five-year National Institutes of Health grant focused on drugs to treat cystic fibrosis, which will complement the new research efforts by enhancing the lab’s capacity for medicinal studies.
Leeper’s research could lead to significant advancements in the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections, addressing a critical gap in current medical treatments.
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