Wednesday, February 1, 2023
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Medical Countermeasures

OMRF Awarded 14.5M for Anthrax Studies

by Global Biodefense Staff
August 25, 2014
Bacillus anthracis bacteria

Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax. Credit: John Alumasa, Pennsylvania State University.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) a five-year, $14.5 million grant to continue its research on anthrax and the bacteria’s effects on humans.

For 10 years, OMRF scientist Mark Coggeshall, Ph.D. and his colleagues have studied the human immune response to anthrax bacteria as part of NIH’s Cooperative Centers for Human Immunology. The original funding came soon after anthrax-laced letters killed five and sickened 17 on the heels of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Identifying New Anthrax Countermeasures

The long-term goal of the Cooperative Centers for Human Immunology program is to identify new vaccines and drug targets. Grants are awarded to institutions with noted expertise in the study of the human immune system. In addition to OMRF, other CCHI-funded institutes include Stanford University, Harvard University, Rockefeller University, Emory University and the University of Maryland.

“From the start, our goal has been to gain a better understanding of anthrax, especially its inhalable form,” Coggeshall said. “By the time a patient seeks medical care, antibiotics become less effective, and the toxin essentially shuts down the immune response.”

Focus on Anthrax End-State of Sepsis

With a team that includes collaborators at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), the researchers have focused their work on sepsis, the blood poisoning that ultimately results from anthrax exposure.

“We identified the trigger in the bacteria that causes this pathology,” says Coggeshall. “Now we are seeking ways to override or disable it and make it less deadly.”

The new grant covers three specific projects at OMRF:

  • Coggeshall will study parts of the anthrax bacteria that cause inflammation and human pathology of the disease.
  • Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., will study the anthrax vaccine that is administered to US military personnel.
  • Darise Farris, Ph.D., will test human components that contribute to inflammation accompanying bacterial infections.

OUHSC researcher Jordan Metcalf, Ph.D., will explore the ways in which the anthrax spores move from the lungs to the rest of the body. Jimmy Ballard, Ph.D., also at OUHSC, will identify peptides made by human immune cells that neutralize the anthrax bacteria.

All the projects are supported by scientists from core laboratories at OMRF, including Florea Lupu, Ph.D., who studies human sepsis pathology, Kenneth Smith, Ph.D., who will generate recombinant human monoclonal antibodies, and Linda Thompson, Ph.D., who will provide expertise on cell sorting and identification.

Immune Response to Anthrax Bacteria

“Historically, researchers have focused on the anthrax bacteria themselves,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D. “OMRF scientists decided, instead, to study how the human immune system forms—or fails to form—immune responses to those bacteria. That non-traditional approach now is paying off, and this additional funding should bring about incredible advances in our approach to treating anthrax infection.”

The form of anthrax used in this project, known as the Sterne strain, is not harmful to humans. This non-virulent strain is less dangerous to humans and is commonly used to vaccinate livestock against the disease.

While terror attacks with so-called weaponized anthrax are very rare, Coggeshall, who holds the Robert S. Kerr Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at OMRF, sees a wide range of other important applications that could result from these studies.

“We now have better ideas now about how anthrax works,” he said. “Even if we aren’t right about some of our ideas, the information we gain will be useful in teaching us more about other dangerous and infectious diseases caused by strep and MRSA and how to control them.”

Recent anthrax-related studies published by Coggeshall include:

  • Toxin inhibition of antimicrobial factors induced by Bacillus anthracis peptidoglycan in human blood
  • The sepsis model: an emerging hypothesis for the lethality of inhalation anthrax
  • Bacillus anthracis peptidoglycan activates human platelets through FcγRII and complement
  • Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin reduces human alveolar epithelial barrier function

Source: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation press release, adapted.

Tags: AnthraxAntimicrobialsAwardsBioterrorismImmune ResponseSepsis

Related Posts

Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions
Pathogens

Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions

January 25, 2023
DARPA Selects Teams to Develop Vaccine Durability Prediction Model
Medical Countermeasures

DARPA Selects Teams to Develop Vaccine Durability Prediction Model

January 13, 2023
small glass vials on an assembly line await filling of vaccine solution
Industry News

Sabin Vaccine Institute to Advance Ebola Sudan and Marburg Vaccines with New BARDA Funding

January 12, 2023
How Are Bivalent COVID Vaccines Stacking Up Against Omicron?
Infectious Diseases

How Are Bivalent COVID Vaccines Stacking Up Against Omicron?

January 12, 2023
Load More

Latest News

Partner Therapeutics’ Novel Approach to Stratify Sepsis Patients Gains Backing From BARDA

Biopreparedness Research Virtual Environment (BRaVE) Initiative Backed by $105M DOE Funding

January 25, 2023
Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions

Influenza Proteins Tilt and Wave in ‘Breath-like’ Motions

January 25, 2023
Biodefense Headlines – 24 January 2023

Biodefense Headlines – 24 January 2023

January 24, 2023
Biodefense Headlines – 17 January 2023

Biodefense Headlines – 17 January 2023

January 17, 2023

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC