Making Gram-negative bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics by targeting their stress response
Official title: Exploring envelope stress response toxicity and regulation in gram-negative bacteria
Funded at University of Nevada Las Vegas · NIH-11177609 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are exploring whether blocking a bacterial stress-response protein can make Gram-negative germs like Pseudomonas easier to kill with antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Las Vegas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Las Vegas, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $147,042 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM149513-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177609 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the population most likely to benefit from therapies developed from these findings.
✕Less likely to help
People with viral infections, non-bacterial conditions, or infections caused by only Gram-positive organisms are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one gets infections from Gram-negative bacteria, this lab research at UNLV focuses on a protein called DnaJ that helps bacteria survive stress from antibiotics. The team will use bacterial cultures and molecular experiments to see whether DnaJ directly binds and controls the stress-response switch AlgU and how that affects bacterial survival. They will map gene and protein changes and test whether the same mechanism appears in other common Gram-negative species. Findings could guide future therapies that push bacteria into a toxic overactive stress state to improve antibiotic killing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to boost antibiotic effectiveness against hard-to-treat Gram-negative infections.
How similar studies have gone: Laboratory studies have shown that overactivating bacterial stress responses can be toxic to microbes, but using this approach as a therapy remains largely experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tseng, Boo Shan — University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Study coordinator: Tseng, Boo Shan
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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.