Enterococcal Proteases and CAUTI: How the body’s environment activates bacteria to cause infections
Official title: Unraveling the Functional Redundancy and Activation Mechanisms of Enterococcal Proteases in Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
Funded at Marshall University · NIH-11448148 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small grant is exploring how two enzymes from Enterococcus faecalis interact with the urine environment to drive catheter-associated urinary tract infections and why these infections are hard to treat.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marshall University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Huntington, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $221,250 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI195633-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11448148 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with catheter-associated urinary tract infections or those at high risk due to catheter use and recurrent infections.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without catheter-related infections or those not involving Enterococcus faecalis may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at why CAUTIs caused by Enterococcus faecalis persist despite antibiotic use. It studies two bacterial enzymes, GelE and SprE, and how the urine and host proteins like fibrinogen may activate SprE even without GelE, potentially helping bacteria form biofilms and invade tissue. Researchers will use in vivo immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and RNA sequencing to map how host factors influence bacterial protease activity and the quorum-sensing circuit. The second aim examines how GelE and SprE interact with fibrinogen to shape biofilms and tissue damage in a mouse model. The work seeks to uncover host-bacteria interactions that sustain CAUTI and identify new points to intervene.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new strategies to disrupt bacterial protease activation and biofilm formation, potentially reducing CAUTI persistence and antibiotic resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Related research has shown bacterial proteases influence biofilm formation, but this project explores a novel host-dependent activation mechanism.
Where this research is happening
-
Marshall University
Huntington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xu, Wei — Marshall University
- Study coordinator: Xu, Wei
Related research
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Understanding how bacteria and fungi interact to cause catheter-related urinary infections
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.