# BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Project Summary.
The Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is a leading cause of
infections in both the hospital setting and in military personnel injured during
wartime. The goal of this Research Career Scientist Award is to continue
addressing the mechanisms that regulate virulence and β−lactam resistance in A.
baumannii. A high-frequency switch that regulates the transition between virulent
(opaque) and avirulent (translucent) forms of A. baumannii will be studied using a
combination of genetic and biochemical approaches. The role of a putative
bistable transcriptional regulator in the opaque to translucent virulence switch will
be investigated by genetic and transcriptomic approaches. A second area of
research is focused on the regulation of intrinsic β-lactam resistance in A.
baumannii. Our work has identified a novel gene in A. baumannii that is required
for intrinsic β−lactam resistance. Inactivation of this gene sensitizes A. baumannii
to β−lactams and also confers a prominent cell division defect. This provides the
first link between defects in cell division and decreased intrinsic β-lactam
resistance and suggests novel interventions that target cell division may sensitize
cells to β-lactams.
 These research projects are highly collaborative and involve VA
investigators at both the Atlanta VAMC and the Louis Stokes VAMC in
Cleveland, OH. This project will continue to foster these collaborations and allow
for the development of new projects. This project will also have an important
training component, where mentoring for junior VA investigators will be provided.
Lastly, student and postdoctoral training will continue to be an integral
component of this research plan, with the goal of developing the next generation
of VA scientists by mentoring a CDA-2 awarded project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9815346
- **Project number:** 5IK6BX004470-02
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip N. Rather
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9815346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9815346, BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application (5IK6BX004470-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9815346. Licensed CC0.

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