# BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2023 · —

## Abstract

Project Summary
In this competitive renewal of my Senior Research Career Scientist (SRCS) award I will continue my research,
service, and teaching/mentoring efforts that have been the areas of concentration during past funding periods.
My research program focuses on antibiotic resistance as it is now recognized that the ability of bacterial
pathogens to evade the action of antibiotics is now one of the most important threats to worldwide public health.
My research program since entering the VA Medical Research service in 1987 has been to understand the
molecular basis by which bacteria develop resistance to antimicrobials with the ultimate goal of advancing basic
science knowledge to improving human health. As a model system, the laboratory has largely used the human
sexually transmitted pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae since this pathogen has historically developed resistance
to every antibiotic that has been brought into clinical practice and has a remarkable ability to avoid the action of
multiple host defense systems. Our research focus is of importance to both the veteran/active military and
civilian populations in the United States given that over 550,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported yearly with
over 50% of N. gonorrhoeae isolates resistant to one or more antibiotics. Moreover, the worldwide estimate of
cases approaches 100 million with reported instances of strains resistant to front-line antibiotics (azithromycin
and/or ceftriaxone). A major accomplishment of my laboratory has been the finding that mechanisms of
antibiotic resistance including multidrug efflux pumps, drug permeability changes due to alterations in
outer membrane structure and inner membrane homeostasis can be linked to the ability of gonococci to
evade mediators of host defense and survive during experimental infections. Thus, we advanced the
concept that antibiotic resistance and bacterial pathogenesis are not necessarily separate entities and should
be studied together. Importantly, our basic research efforts have now reached a point where translational-driven
efforts can facilitate vaccine development and new antibiotic discovery. In addition to these research efforts, I
have participated in and provided leadership for multiple local, national and international endeavors to combat
antibiotic resistance. These efforts include extensive peer-review service for journals and study sections,
membership on national and international advisory boards for agencies advancing new antibiotic development,
teaching/mentoring programs through directing an NIH-funded T32 program for pre-doctoral students,
developing and directing graduate level courses, and mentoring junior faculty at the Atlanta VA and Emory
University School of Medicine. These extensive efforts coupled with my ongoing productive research program
will be the focus of my SRCS-supported work during the next funding period.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10514632
- **Project number:** 5IK6BX005390-03
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** William Maurice Shafer
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2027-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10514632

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10514632, BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application (5IK6BX005390-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10514632. Licensed CC0.

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