tuberculosis

A Peek at This Year’s Postbac Poster Day

Annual Event Provides Showcase for IRP Postbaccalaureate Fellows

IRP postbac fellow Angel Obiorah with her research poster

As informative as undergraduate science courses can be, there’s no better way to learn the ins and outs of biology than to scrutinize and manipulate it in the lab every day. That’s why so many science enthusiasts flock to NIH after college to participate in the IRP Postbaccalaureate IRTA Program, which allows newly minted grads to spend a year or two working full-time in a lab at NIH. And rather than demonstrating the knowledge they’ve gained on a test, IRP postbacs get to present their research at NIH’s Postbac Poster Day each year, an environment akin to the poster sessions at scientific conferences many postbacs will be attending as they continue their scientific careers.

This year, more than 900 IRP postbacs showed off their research at the event, and unlike prior years, all their presentations were done during one absolutely jam-packed day rather than being spread over two days. Read on to learn about how five of them have taken advantage of the opportunity to work in IRP labs over the past year.

Targeting Tuberculosis

IRP’s Clifton Barry Seeks Novel Therapies for an Ancient Foe

Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria

March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day, a day to remember that a preventable and curable disease still kills more than a million people each year. Despite every effort to eradicate it, the disease-causing bug, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, keeps coming back stronger and more ready for a fight. As varieties of the bacteria grow more and more resistant to treatment, an evolutionary war is raging between the bacterium and researchers like IRP senior investigator Clifton Barry, Ph.D., who has been seeking solutions for the past 33 years.

A Fight With The Flu Could Help Control COVID-19

IRP Mouse Study Reveals Factors That Influence Pandemic Virus’ Replication in the Lungs

a person's lungs surrounded by virus particles

Tuberculosis, the flu, a staph infection, asthma — you’d think all these ailments could only be bad news for the lungs. However, if they don’t get out of control, they might actually turn out to have an unexpected benefit. A new IRP mouse study suggests that a recent bout with these illnesses might prime the lungs to keep a lid on a COVID-19 infection.

One of the most perplexing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the huge variation in individual experiences with the disease. Despite the incredibly infectious nature of the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2, many people never got sick at all, or at least never showed symptoms. For those who showed symptoms, they ranged wildly, mild for some and life-threatening for others.

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.

Teaming Up to Tackle Engineering Challenges

Innovation Awards Accelerate Development of New Research Techniques

scientist working with a robotic arm

Scientists spend years, even decades, intensely studying a specific disease or biological system, an approach that yields unrivaled knowledge. However, many important scientific questions require a deep understanding of several subjects. As a result, the IRP has numerous programs dedicated to encouraging scientists with different areas of expertise to work together.

One such program is the NIH Director’s Challenge Innovation Awards, which funds innovative, high-impact projects that require the cooperation of researchers in more than one of NIH’s Institutes and Centers. This year, the program selected six promising proposals with one foot in the disciplines of biology and medicine and another in engineering or the physical sciences.

Teaching an Old Vaccine New Tricks to Thwart Tuberculosis

The IRP’s Mario Roederer and Robert Seder Discuss the Science Behind the Headlines

Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, the cause of tuberculosis

Some say that if something’s not broken, then don’t fix it, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. At least, those were the thoughts of IRP senior investigators Mario Roederer, Ph.D., and Robert Alan Seder, M.D., who recently found that the century-old tuberculosis (TB) vaccine is far more effective when administered via injection into a vein (IV) rather than into the skin, which has long been the standard way it is given. This major breakthrough received extensive media coverage, including a story in the New York Times. We went Behind the Headlines to get the inside scoop on this potentially life-saving discovery.