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Regions of active cell wall synthesis shown by high-resolution imaging of the bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Long-term labeling is revealed with blue FDAA and short-time labeling with red FDAA.
Photo by Michael Boersma - Indiana UniversityBLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — A team of Indiana University scientists has won a $3.3 million grant to develop a new tool in the fight against the growing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant germs.
The National Institutes of Health awarded the IU researchers the grant after being won over by the promise of the team's fledgling new research technique.
The IU-Bloomington scientists will use the funding to develop a tiny, fluorescent chemical probe intended to unlock the secrets of how bacteria build their cell walls. Those cell walls might be the best hope for new antibiotics targeting germs resistant to other drugs.
Biology professor Malcolm Winkler says the team believes the impact of its new approach "will be profound."
The IU researchers will also study the bacteria behind Streptococcus pneumonia, which kills 22,000 Americans each year.
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