News

Fighting Infection on Medical Devices
Biofilms are not just an interesting scientific phenomenon-in developed countries, biofilms cause most bacterial infections and about 90 percent of infections picked up in hospital. Biofilms are also extremely tenacious, and are able to withstand concentrations of disinfectants or antibiotics that would wipe out free-living microbes. Ceri and his colleagues around the world are evaluating the first wave of new therapies to fight these biofilms, using a device developed by Calgary's Biofilm Research Group, co-founded by Ceri and other Calgary researchers in the mid-90s. The device, which is commercialized as the MBEC Assay^TM and licensed to Innovotech Inc., is a plastic, multi-well tray the size of an outstretched hand. With this tool, researchers can study 96 miniature biofilms at once, allowing for rapid testing.
 

New discovery shows DNA both protects and harms bacteria
Faculty of Medicine researchers have shown for the first time that DNA acts as a double-edged sword that both protects and harms bacteria. The finding was made in the lab of Shawn Lewenza, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases at the UCalgary Faculty of Medicine, and published in PLoS Pathogens. Heidi Mulcahy, PhD is the lead author on the paper.
 

Alberta researchers find possible treatment for deadly strain of E.coli
The Faculty of Medicine's Glen Armstrong, working with colleagues at the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science, has discovered a very promising treatment to prevent the serious side effects of the deadly E. coli strain .
 

University of Calgary researchers outline new approach to treating cystic fibrosis 
Researchers at the University of Calgary have found a new method of fighting severe lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), reducing the severity of their infections and improving their quality of life. The findings are published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA. 

Closer to understanding how disease spreads
Building on work done earlier this year, research done in the labs of George Chaconas and Paul Kubes, is helping scientists have a better understanding of how pathogens move through a host.

The researchers demonstrated the first visualization of the dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. They showed the movement in a living host, using an engineered fluorescent strain of B. burgdorferi. 

$1.7 million grant awarded to Faculty of Medicine researcher to fight bioterrorism
Microbiologist awarded grant to develop and test vaccines against agents of bioterrorism
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Donald Woods, PhD, of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, $1.7 million for research into vaccines against agents of bioterrorism.

Vaccine for deadly intestinal parasite discovered at U of C
It's the only amoeba in this world known to kill humans, and a University of Calgary microbiologist just might have the vaccine for it.

Kris Chadee and his team of researchers have developed a non-invasive vaccine that is able to block the harmful Entamoeba histolytica from binding to cells in the intestine in animals.

New vaccine research program gets $5 million boost from AHFMR
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) has announced the Faculty of Medicine's new vaccine research program as one of the recipients of AHFMR's first interdisciplinary team grant competition. The team grant program provides up to $5 million per team.