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Oishei grant to support UB research on Staphylococcus
By CYNTHIA MACHAMER
Reporter Contributor
A $690,500 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation will support the research of two professors in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Alan J. Lesse, associate professor of medicine, pharmacology and toxicology, and microbiology, and Joseph M. Mylotte, professor of medicine, have received the funds to conduct a three-year study of an anticipated 900 episodes of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia (SAB) at three hospitals: Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo General and Sisters.
They will be collaborating with Steven R. Gill, associate professor of oral biology in the School of Dental Medicine and a member of the Infectious Disease and Genomics Group in UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.
The study, “A Population-based Study of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia (SAB) in Western New York,” reflects the university’s strategic focus on clinical sciences and experimental medicine, as outlined in the UB 2020 strategic plan. SAB, a serious and common human infection, is a major public health problem primarily related to health care, but no longer confined to intensive care units, acute care hospitals or any health care institution.
“The study is a unique, multi-center, population-based study of SAB,” said Lesse. “Ours is a preliminary, state-of-the-art analysis of the current clinical and molecular epidemiology of SAB on a population basis that will add significant data to the literature and complement the ongoing work of other investigations. The expertise of Dr. Steven Gill and the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences will allow a highly detailed analysis of the contribution of microbial virulence factors to the risk of complications,” he said.
“Because the frequency of SAB is so high and the number of cases is large in Western New York, we can accurately sample and rapidly report our experience in the literature at a time of significant change occurring in S. aureus.”
The study will provide preliminary data for seeking federal funds for a larger population-based study of SAB in Western New York, noted Michael E. Cain, dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “By establishing the clinical and molecular epidemiology of SAB and providing a model for predicting complication risk, this research can help inform the development of prevention strategies and treatment options,” Cain said.