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Office
of News and Information
November 17, 2003 |
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Williams and Smith are conducting the research for their own enrichment outside of the classes they are taking. Their projects are focused on the identification of the structure and function of proteins exposed on the surface of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This Gram negative organism is an opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of diseases, Boucher said. “Examples would include infections in burn and cancer patients as well as respiratory infections in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF),” he explained. “The chronic respiratory infections with P. aeruginosa is associated with the high morbidity and mortality seen in CF patients. Determination of the putative function of such proteins could shed light on their involvement in the bacterium's ability to cause disease. Furthermore, information on the function of these proteins could be useful in the development of a vaccine for P. aeruginosa.”
Contact person: Emily Battle, (903) 565-5604
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Junior
biology majors Queenie Williams (front) from Carthage and Chené
Smith from South Africa work on their research projects as Dr. John
“Cliff” Boucher, visiting assistant professor of biology,
looks on. 