New Effort to Battle Antibiotic Resistance Rallies Researchers Throughout Harvard University

New Effort to Battle Antibiotic Resistance Rallies Researchers Throughout
Harvard University
NIH Grants $5 million for the Fight

BOSTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded $5
million to an interdisciplinary group of Harvard researchers to launch the
"Harvard-wide Program on Antibiotic Resistance." Headed by Michael S. Gilmore,
Ph.D., (Senior Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute and Schepens
Professor of Ophthalmology [Department of Microbiology and Molecular
Genetics], HMS), the group is uniting Harvard institutions in the fight
against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other
antibiotic resistant infection. The goal of the project is for the research
team with a range of expertise to tackle the problem from different
directions, and then to translate those findings into better treatments.

It shocked many a year and a half ago when CDC researchers noted that
methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were killing more in the US than
HIV/AIDS (over 18,000 deaths per year). According to Gilmore, other penicillin
resistant strains of S. aureus cause almost half again as many deaths. Worse,
since 2002, MRSA have been acquiring resistance to one of the last line drugs
used to treat those infections, vancomycin, a problem he has been studying
with scientists at CDC.

MRSA are a major concern for hospitalized patients. More recently they have
begun causing infections in healthy individuals in the community as well --
approximately 15% of invasive MRSA infections occur in patients with no known
underlying cause. Most of these infections begin as skin infections, some
acquired in sports locker rooms and other shared facilities. The infections
become life-threatening when the microbe enters the bloodstream. New strains
of MRSA have emerged that are causing many of the community infections.

Gilmore credits the Harvard-wide Microbial Sciences Initiative (an initiative
launched in 2004 to bring together microbiology researchers from all Harvard
campuses), the Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Science Center, and
a Schepens program to launch interdisciplinary research projects, for bringing
this team together.

"We have been friends and collaborators on this important problem and also the
new interdisciplinary and translational efforts on campus. Formalizing these
relationships was a small and logical step that each of us embraced. We were
lucky that all of the pieces fell into place so well," said Gilmore.

Working with molecular microbiologist Gilmore are: David Hooper, MD (Associate
Chief of Infectious Diseases and Head of Infection Control, MGH and Professor
of Medicine, HMS); Suzanne Walker, Ph.D. (Professor of Microbiology and
Molecular Genetics, HMS); Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, Ph.D (Assistant Professor
of Medicine, HMS and Member, Infectious Diseases, MGH); and Frederick M.
Ausubel, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics HMS, and Member, Molecular Biology,
MGH).

Walker, Mylonakis and Ausubel will be taking different high-throughput
approaches to screen libraries of compounds for possible new drugs. Gilmore,
Hooper and Mylonakis will then test these compounds for their ability to clear
an infection, and will also examine possible pathways for the development of
resistance. These projects will additionally benefit from input from, Richard
Losick, Ph.D. (Harvard College Professor and Maria Moors Cabot Professor of
Biology), who will assist Gilmore on his subproject, as well as head an
advisory panel.

Other world leaders in the area of antibiotic resistance who will be members
of the advisory panel are Christopher T. Walsh, Ph.D., (Hamilton Kuhn
Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, HMS); Jared
Silverman, Ph.D. (Senior Director, In Vitro Biology, Cubist Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.), and Steven J. Projan, Ph.D (Vice President and Global Head, Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). "The involvement of thought leaders
from the pharmaceutical industry will be an important key to the ultimate
translation of the results of this project," according to Gilmore.

More information on this project can be obtained by email:
Antibiotic.Resistance@schepens.harvard.edu

Schepens Eye Research Institute is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and
the largest independent eye research institute in the country.

SOURCE Schepens Eye Research Institute

Patti Jacobs, Media Relations Consultant for Schepens Eye Research Institute,
+1-617-912-2544, +1-617-872-0364, pjacobs12@comcast.net