Understanding why treatments for infections sometimes don't work
Novel single-cell mass spectrometry methods to assess the role of intracellular drug concentration and metabolism in antimicrobial treatment failure
This research aims to understand why treatments for serious infections sometimes fail by looking closely at how drugs get inside infected cells.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11123305 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Many people face challenges when treatments for serious infections don't fully clear the illness, which can be due to various factors like drug resistance or how the body handles the medication. Current methods often measure drug levels in blood or tissues, but this doesn't tell us enough about what's happening inside the cells where the infection lives. Our team is developing a new, safe way to measure drug levels and their effects directly within individual infected cells. This approach, called single-cell mass spectrometry, has shown promise in cancer research and we are adapting it to better understand infectious diseases.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational research is for future patients who suffer from difficult-to-treat infections, particularly those caused by pathogens that hide inside cells.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate new treatments or direct clinical intervention would not directly benefit from this early-stage research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a better understanding of why some infections are hard to treat, helping doctors choose more effective medications and develop new ones.
How similar studies have performed: Similar single-cell mass spectrometry techniques have shown success in understanding drug action in cancer, but this application to infectious diseases is novel.
Where this research is happening
San Diego, United States
- San Diego State University — San Diego, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mccall, Laura-Isobel — San Diego State University
- Study coordinator: Mccall, Laura-Isobel
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.