Staph bone infections and the bacterial enzymes that make them worse
Official title: Defining the role of post-translational regulation by extracellular proteases in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11169771 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how enzymes made by Staphylococcus aureus change bone infections and whether targeting those enzymes could help people with osteomyelitis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | June 15, 2015 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $451,739 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI119380-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169771 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis, especially those with recurrent or chronic bone infections, would be the main patient group who could benefit or contribute bacterial samples.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose bone problems are caused by non-Staphylococcus organisms or by non-infectious conditions would not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
Researchers will use Staphylococcus aureus samples from real patients and laboratory and animal tests to identify which bacterial extracellular proteases matter most in bone infection. They will study how those enzymes affect biofilm formation, toxin levels, and killing of bone cells, and how these changes influence bone remodeling and the host immune response. The team will also test the roles of individual and combined bacterial virulence factors to see which drive severe osteomyelitis. Results are intended to link specific bacterial mechanisms to bone damage that leads to worse outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to block bacterial enzymes to reduce bone damage, improve infection control, and lower the risk of amputation.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work from this group showed that disrupting the sarA regulator reduces bacterial virulence and bone damage in animal models and in diverse clinical isolates, but targeting specific proteases is a newer, more focused step.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smeltzer, Mark S — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Smeltzer, Mark S
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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.