How bacteria survive the immune system's bleach-like chemicals
Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Stress Response Relevant to Host-Microbe Interactions
This work looks at how common bacteria protect themselves from the immune system's bleach-like chemicals to help prevent infections and support healthy microbes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178617 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a patient, this research looks at how bacteria respond when they meet bleach-like chemicals produced by our immune system. In the lab, scientists expose E. coli and related bacteria to these oxidants and measure how they make protective polyphosphate and other survival molecules. They use biochemical, genetic, and bioinformatics methods to map the pathways that let bacteria survive during inflammation. The goal is to find points where future treatments could either weaken harmful bacteria or protect helpful microbes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for related future studies would include people with recurrent bacterial infections or inflammatory gut conditions who might join clinical follow-up studies or donate microbiome samples.
Not a fit: People with health issues that do not involve bacterial infection or the gut microbiome are unlikely to see direct benefit from this basic laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to make harmful bacteria easier to clear or to protect beneficial gut microbes during inflammation.
How similar studies have performed: Prior lab studies have shown polyphosphate helps bacteria survive stress, but translating that knowledge into treatments is still at an early stage.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gray, Michael Jeffrey — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Gray, Michael Jeffrey
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 below.