BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

目前实验室的研究和知识产权进展集中在细菌感染， 结果（矛盾的）从使用抗生素。我们的研究是在一个健康战略下进行的， 旨在扩大人类和其他动物医疗保健各个方面的跨学科合作。 因此，我们的VA和大学附属团队专注于阐明厌氧微生物中的致病机制。 人类和兽医病原体艰难梭菌，以及肠道疾病生物体 肠致病性和肠出血性E.杆菌正在进行的研究包括全面的流行病学和 机械审讯C.艰难梭菌感染（CDI）。具体而言，我们有（1）前瞻性CDI监测， 亚利桑那州南部的VA和非VA医院，导致了唯一的策划，指纹和完全- 分类C。美国西南部的艰难梭菌生物储存库;（2）开发了精确的基因组学和蛋白质组学 确定导致新的C菌株毒力增强的因素的方法。difficile;和（3） 利用（1）和（2）中的信息开发了多种新的C。难治性抗感染药物，包括靶向 和生物控制的活生物治疗剂以及窄谱抗微生物剂。我们的VA优异奖有 截至2020年12月，已颁发一项专利和两项临时专利。 上述活动有两个首要目标。一是提高退役军人健康水平 事实上，老年人和免疫功能低下的人，通过开发安全，口服，具有成本效益的抗感染药物， 这些技术可以方便地从临床前管道过渡到社区。二是 继续与退伍军人事务部、国家和国际合作者合作，并培训学员， 可以被引导到一个传统的计划，在SAVAHCS站以及 大学附属机构。 因此，这一更新RCS申请被认为是继续建立内部关系的关键， 南亚利桑那州VA医疗保健系统社区外。我们的研究记录强调了 跨学科科学，RCS平台使不同的研究小组和 开辟了新的调查途径通过这些合作培育的核心价值观包括 积极倾听，包容讨论，周到沟通。 培训和指导是PI专业愿景的一个组成部分，目前的RCS周期 提供与不同的优秀学员和学员合作的机会。其中包括（和 继续包括）第一代大学生，代表性不足的少数民族成员，早期职业生涯 教师和科学家实习生。 总的来说，驻地协调员的活动预计将继续促进对《联合国宪章》的重点和实质性贡献。 通过开发旨在改善退伍军人健康的产品和技术， 医疗相关感染。

Current Research and Intellectual Property advancement in the laboratory focuses on bacterial infections that result (paradoxically) from the use of antibiotics. Our studies are performed under a One Health strategy that aims to expand interdisciplinary collaboration in diverse aspects of healthcare for humans and other animals. Our VA and University Affiliate teams are thus focused on elucidating pathogenic mechanisms in the anaerobic human and veterinary pathogen Clostridioides difficile, as well as the diarrheal disease organisms Enteropathogenic and Enterohemorrhagic E. coli. Ongoing studies include comprehensive epidemiological and mechanistic interrogation of C. difficile infection (CDI). Specifically, we have (1) prospective CDI surveillance in Southern Arizona VA and non-VA hospitals that has resulted in one of the only curated, fingerprinted and fully- cataloged C. difficile biorepositories in the Southwestern US; (2) developed precision genomics and proteomics approaches to identify factors contributing to the heightened virulence of newer strains of C. difficile; and (3) leveraged the information from (1) and (2) to develop multiple, novel C. difficile anti-infectives including targeted and bio-controlled live biotherapeutics as well as narrow-spectrum antimicrobials. Our VA Merit awards have resulted in one issued, and two Provisional, Patents as of December 2020. There are two over-arching goals of the activities described above. The first is to improve the health of Veterans and, indeed, the elderly and immunocompromised, by developing safe, oral, cost-effective anti-infective technologies that can transition expediently from the pre-clinical pipeline and into the community. The second is to continue to partner with VA, national and international Collaborators and train mentees such that current efforts can be channeled into a legacy plan for anti-infective research both at the SAVAHCS station as well as the University Affiliate. This renewal RCS application is thus envisaged as critical to the continued building of relationships within and outside the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System community. Our research record underscores the power of cross-disciplinary science, and the RCS platform has enabled engagement with diverse research groups and fostered new avenues of investigation. Core values that have been cultivated via these collaborations include active listening, inclusive discussion and thoughtful communication. Training and Mentoring is an integral aspect of the PIs’ professional vision, and the current RCS cycle has provided opportunities to work with diverse and outstanding trainees and mentees. These have included (and continue to include) first-generation college students, members of under-represented minorities, early-career Faculty, and Physician-Scientist trainees. Taken together, RCS activities are envisioned to continue fostering focused and substantive contributions to the betterment of Veterans’ health via the development of products and technologies aimed at ameliorating healthcare-associated infections.