University of Otago (Dunedin) Department of Microbiology and Immunology senior research fellow Dr Matthew McNeil and Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science (Christchurch) senior research fellow Dr Nina Dickerhof have received about $600,000 for their projects.
They are among 22 successful Otago grants worth almost $2.9million, which will help foster the health research workforce in New Zealand.
Dr McNeil’s project looks at drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Tb) which is an international public health issue.
"Drug-resistant strains of Tb are becoming increasingly difficult to treat, with cure rates as low as 2%," he said.
"This project aims to understand the metabolic impacts of drug resistance in Tb, and using this information, develop strategies for drastically improving the rate at which antibiotics are able to kill drug-resistant strains.
"Ultimately, this work aims to reduce treatment times and increase cure rates."
While Tb was the focus of the project, the result would also be significant for combating other bacterial pathogens for which drug resistance is a problem, he said.
She aimed to identify the mechanisms by which bacteria defend themselves against oxidants produced by the immune system.
"This research will provide novel insights into how the immune system fights invading pathogens and may reveal new strategies for treating bacterial infections."
She also intends to find markers of oxidative tissue damage that could help identify the presence of inflammation in the lungs.
"These markers will be of considerable benefit to patients with cystic fibrosis and may also prove useful in respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and Covid-19."
