FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu

 

P. David Rogers, First Tennessee Chair of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacy, at

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

 Receives $1.8 Million Grant Renewal to Study Antifungal Therapy Resistance

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            Memphis, Tenn. (February 29, 2012) – P. David Rogers, PharmD, PhD, FCCP, First Tennessee Chair of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacy, director, Division of Clinical and Translational Therapeutics, and professor and vice chair for Research in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $1,836,580 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health.  The renewed award will fund a study on antifungal therapy resistance.  The study titled, “Novel Azole* Resistance Mechanisms in Candida albicans,” will be conducted over an additional five-year period.

The pathogenic fungal species Candida, which is a species of yeast, is collectively the fourth leading cause of hospital bloodstream infections in the United States.  Systemic yeast infections have been found to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.  As a result, the annual cost for antifungal therapy in the United States is approaching $1 billion.  Dr. Rogers and his research team seek to improve the treatment of Candida infections by understanding the molecular basis for antifungal drug resistance. 

"We are very excited to have successfully renewed this award for another five years,” said Dr. Rogers.  “This grant will allow us to continue our important work towards a complete understanding of microbiologic resistance to the azole class of antifungal agents in Candida albicans and related fungal pathogens."

This research will ultimately contribute to the development of novel strategies for predicting treatment failure, overcoming antifungal resistance, and improving antifungal therapy.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.  For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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*azole- any of numerous compounds characterized by a five-membered ring containing at least one nitrogen atom