How bacterial cells organize themselves to grow, survive, and cause infection
Official title: Gauging how the plasticity of cellular organizations dictates growth, death and adaptation in single bacterial cells
Funded at Carnegie-Mellon University · NIH-11369634 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers study how the tiny parts inside bacteria rearrange themselves in different environments to help bacteria grow, survive antibiotics, and cause infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Carnegie-Mellon University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $351,964 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM151216-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369634 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals affected by infections caused by bacteria such as P. aeruginosa or other pathogenic bacteria where antibiotic tolerance is a concern, though participants are not directly recruited in this phase of work.
✕Less likely to help
This project is primarily laboratory science and does not involve direct patient participation or immediate clinical benefits.
What this research studies
This grant explores how non-genetic changes inside bacterial cells drive their growth, adaptation, and ability to infect. By examining model bacteria like E. coli and human pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the project aims to map how cellular organization links to the cell’s health and fitness. The work combines physics, biology, and engineering to understand how crowded cellular space influences membrane protein placement and cell behavior. Findings could reveal new targets to prevent or treat bacterial infections that resist current therapies. The research is conducted at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh under the direction of Fangwei Si.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could identify fundamental principles of bacterial organization that lead to new strategies to combat antibiotic-tolerant infections.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that cellular organization can influence bacterial physiology, but the specific links proposed here are novel and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
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Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Si, Fangwei — Carnegie-Mellon University
- Study coordinator: Si, Fangwei
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.