bacteria

Rooting Out Genetic Risks for Gum Disease

IRP’s Oral Health Experts Explore Why It’s Not Always About Brushing and Flossing

illustration of inflammation in the gums

When you dig into that bowl of candy this Halloween, you may want to keep in mind that those sweets are not only fueling your sweet tooth, but also an army of creepy crawlies living in your mouth, busily forming a sticky film of plaque and attacking your gums.

As Dental Hygiene Month comes to a close this October, we spoke with IRP Clinical Research Specialist Laurie Brenchley, R.D.H., a dental hygienist and clinical study coordinator in the laboratory of IRP senior investigator Niki Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D. Together, Brenchley and Dr. Moutsopoulos are studying the link between oral health and the immune system, with a specific focus on cases in which genetic factors increase susceptibility to severe gum disease, more formally known as periodontitis.

NIH Mourns the Passing of John Gallin

Dr. John Gallin

NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., offered the following tribute to Dr. John I. Gallin, M.D., upon hearing of his passing on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

It is with a heavy heart that I share that John I. Gallin, M.D., the 10th and longest-serving director of the NIH Clinical Center, died at his home today of multiple myeloma at the age of 81 with his wife Elaine Gallin, Ph.D., by his side.

John’s illustrious career at NIH spanned more than 50 years, but he will be most remembered for leading NIH’s research hospital for 23 years from 1994-2017. He often said that his time at the NIH Clinical Center, which he referred to as the “House of Hope,” was his most special because of the hospital’s partnership with patients to improve health through clinical research. He developed the hospital’s research portfolio, created the Patient Advisory Group, established the Department of Bioethics, and was instrumental in the creation of the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge for adult patients and their families, a complement to The Children’s Inn. He also led efforts to build the addition to the hospital, the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, which opened to patients in 2005. He started the Bench-to-Bedside Awards to integrate the work of basic and clinical investigators. His years of work led to the NIH Clinical Center receiving the 2011 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award.

Postbac Poster Day Presents a Buffet of Biology

Young Scientists Demonstrate Fruits of Their IRP Research

IRP postbaccalaureate fellow Monica Mesecar with her poster at Postbac Poster Day

There’s nothing quite like visiting NIH’s Postbac Poster Day to boost your faith that the future of biomedical science is bright. On May 1 and 2, more than a thousand recent college graduates participating in NIH’s Postbac program showed their colleagues, friends, and family the fascinating projects they’re working on in IRP labs. From delving into the aging brain to making sense of the bacteria on our skin, these aspiring researchers demonstrated that they have the passion needed to unravel the most complex mysteries of human biology. Read on to learn about the scientific questions just a few of them have been doggedly investigating over the past year.

Bone Marrow Cells Reveal Secret Weapon to Battle Bacteria

Research Could Lead to Cell-Based Therapies for Infections and Autoimmune Reactions

bacterial colonies growing in a petri dish

One thing many scientists love about their job is that the topic they study can still surprise them even after decades of research. IRP senior investigator Eva Mezey, M.D., Ph.D., for instance, has spent the last 20 years investigating a particular set of cells in the bone marrow, yet until now she had never uncovered one of their most intriguing tricks. In a recent study, her IRP team and its collaborators discovered that those cells make a substance that can fight infections and tame hyper-active immune responses.

Experimental Antibody Tightens Up Leaky Blood Vessels

Treatment Could Benefit Patients With a Variety of Illnesses

blood vessels

Our blood is a miraculous mix of cells and critical fluids that keep our organs running and fight off dangerous infections. Of course, for blood to do its job, it has to stay in our veins and arteries, which is easier said than done for people with certain illnesses. Fortunately, a recent IRP study has demonstrated the promise of a potential new treatment for people with dangerously leaky blood vessels.

Several life-threatening conditions, including Ebola and sepsis due to an uncontrolled infection, cause the fluid component of blood to leak out of blood vessels. IRP senior investigator Kirk Druey, M.D., however, came to study the phenomenon through a very rare ailment called Clarkson disease, which causes patients to periodically experience ‘flares’ or ‘episodes’ when their veins and arteries suddenly and inexplicably start leaking.

Seeking Antibiotic Alternatives to Annihilate Infections

IRP’s Darryl Zeldin Investigates New Ways to Combat Bacterial Pneumonia

a pile of pills

Our immune system is supposed to block infections like pneumonia, and in most instances, it does. Even so, nearly 1 million Americans each year become sick enough from pneumonia to require a visit to the hospital, and for about 50,000, the lung infection is deadly.

Multiple types of infectious organisms can cause pneumonia, and doctors use antibiotics to treat cases caused by bacteria. Unfortunately, bacteria are resilient organisms that have waged an evolutionary battle against our antibiotics ever since penicillin was first discovered, leading to alarming rates of antibiotic-resistant infections. It’s no wonder, then, that the public health community calls attention to this life-threatening conundrum each November during Antibiotic Awareness Week.

Postbac Poster Day Returns to NIH Campus

Budding Scientists Assemble for First Time Since 2019

IRP postbac fellow Vernon Kennedy with his poster at Postbac Poster Day

In many ways, working at NIH feels like being at a world-renowned university, complete with a variety of classes, intellectually stimulating lectures, social events, and opportunities for professional development. It’s no wonder, then, that NIH has long been a destination for young people who have just departed from their alma maters with their newly earned undergraduate degrees.

These new graduates come to the IRP to hone their scientific skills in NIH’s Postbac IRTA program, conducting research in IRP labs for one or two years under the expert guidance of the IRP’s seasoned investigators. The program also provides the opportunity once per year for participants to present the fruits of their efforts to all their IRP colleagues at Postbac Poster Day, and this year’s event on April 19 and 20 was the first to include an in-person component since 2019. Read on to learn about a few of the nearly 1,000 postbacs who showed off their research at this year’s event, which spanned fields from neuroscience and cancer to genetics and virtual reality.

Preventing Cellular Rust Hinders Tuberculosis

Study Suggests New Treatment Approach for Deadly Lung Infection

tuberculosis bacteria

Oxygen is, quite literally, the air we breathe (or, more accurately, 21 percent of it). However, just as oxygen in the air can turn a handy garden tool into a useless hunk of rust, certain unstable, oxygen-containing molecules in our bodies can wreak havoc on our cells. According to new IRP research, revving up cellular systems that prevent this kind of damage could significantly improve outcomes for people with tuberculosis.

A Year of Honors for IRP Cancer Researchers

Four NIH Scientists Received Prestigious Recognition in 2022

clockwise from top-left: Dr. Michael Lichten, Dr. Susan Lea, Dr. Kandice Tanner, and Dr. Deborah Morrison

The complexities of cancer, which is actually a collection of many diseases, has made conquering it an enormous challenge. Fortunately, researchers in the NIH Intramural Research Program are up to the task. This year, four IRP investigators in NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) have been recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to answering fundamental questions about the disease and the immune system’s response to similar threats.

Postdoc Profile: Eavesdropping On Bacterial Banter

Dr. Tiffany Zarrella Examines Communication Between Bacteria to Combat Persistent Infections

Dr. Tiffany Zarella

Facebook’s nearly 3 billion users may seem like a huge social network, but it pales in comparison to the conversations among the trillions of microbes that live inside a single human body. Few people know this better than IRP postdoctoral fellow Tiffany Zarrella, Ph.D., who spends her days eavesdropping on the messages bacteria send to one another to improve treatment for stubborn infections.

Dr. Zarrella was drawn to the bacterial world in microbiology lab courses while earning a biochemistry degree at Syracuse University in New York. After graduation, she obtained a research technician position at Albany Medical College, where she worked on projects centered around infectious bacteria and how they respond to their environments. She continued this thread of research in graduate school, moving on to a new study to discover how Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which often cause ear infections and pneumonia, use a particular signaling molecule to resist antibiotic treatments and evade vaccines.