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For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

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

 

Professor Harry S. Courtney of

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

 Receives $126,000 Grant to Continue Streptococcal Infection Research

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Memphis, Tenn. (March 15, 2012) – Harry S. Courtney, PhD, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $126,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health.  The award will fund research on streptococcal infections. The study titled, “Role of M-Related Protein and IgG Interactions in Virulence of S. pyogenes,” will be conducted over a two-year period.

The focus of Dr. Courtney’s research is on molecular mechanisms of group A streptococcal infections.  Group A streptococci, which is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, produces an array of diseases ranging from mild and self-limiting infections of the throat and skin to highly invasive diseases with significant rates of morbidity and mortality.  The incidence of severe, invasive infections by S. pyogenes has been increasing throughout the world, and it is the ninth-leading cause of mortality among all microbial pathogens worldwide.  Infections due to S. pyogenes are limited to humans, but the basis for why people are the target host is relatively unknown. 

“This award will provide the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of the pathogenesis of group A streptococcal infections,” said Dr. Courtney.  “It will hopefully identify a new target for vaccine development as well.”

Currently, the rodent model is used extensively to study streptococcal infections.  However, rodents are naturally resistant to S. pyogenes, thus large doses are required to initiate infections.  This award will allow Dr. Courtney and his research team to examine the role of IgG*,which are antibody molecules, binding to the streptococcal surface protein -- M-related protein (Mrp) -- as it relates to virulence and host specificity.   The team will then use their findings to determine if the passive transfer of human IgG to mice will increase their susceptibility to S. pyogenes.  Knowing this would improve the animal model by allowing investigators to avoid using high doses that may obscure results.

The findings from this study relating to Mrp-IgG interactions may provide more insight into host specificity of streptococcal infections and lay the foundation for developing therapies or vaccines to block this interaction and prevent infections from this bacteria.

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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*Immunoglobulin G (IgG) - Antibody molecules that are composed of four peptide chains — two heavy chains and two light chains. Each IgG has two antigen binding sites