MSU鈥檚 Fitzkee garners $1.8 million NIH grant to study bacteria, surfaces and infections
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss. 鈥 A Mississippi State faculty member and structural biophysicist is the recipient of a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how bacterial proteins attach to surfaces and impact public health.
Nicholas Fitzkee, an associate professor in MSU鈥檚 Department of Chemistry, has been awarded an NIH R01 grant 鈥 the original and oldest grant mechanism used by NIH 鈥 which provides support for a 鈥渟pecified, circumscribed project鈥 for health-related research and development. Fitzkee鈥檚 grant will be appropriated over five years.
Recipients of an R01 compete with faculty from elite universities across the country and are typically determined to be in the top 10 percent of their field. Fitzkee鈥檚 research, formally titled 鈥淭he structure, orientation and competitive interactions of S. epidermidis biofilm proteins on surfaces,鈥 investigates how bacterial proteins interact with and attach to plastic and glass surfaces.
鈥淥ne of the problems facing our healthcare system is hospital-associated infections,鈥 Fitzkee said. 聽Infections cost 鈥渢housands of lives and billions of dollars annually鈥 and can originate with implanted medical devices.听
鈥淏acteria can coat the surfaces of these devices, forming biofilms, which is the root cause of many infections鈥 Fitzkee said.
Fitzkee hopes that understanding the molecular forces involved in bacterial attachment to surfaces will help scientists develop medical implants that are more resistant to biofilm formation.
鈥淭his project lies at the intersection of surface chemistry, molecular biophysics and nanotechnology,鈥 Fitzke said. 鈥淎ll three are very exciting fields to be working in right now.鈥
After joining the 草莓视频faculty in 2011, Fitzkee鈥檚 research group 鈥 collectively known as the Fitzkee Lab 鈥 began studying the relationship between protein dynamics and function.听
鈥淭his grant has elevated the Fitzkee Lab and MSU鈥檚 Department of Chemistry to the very top levels of competition within this leading agency for health science and medical research,鈥 said Dennis Smith, department head and professor. 鈥淒r. Fitzkee continues to set the bar in all areas.鈥
鈥淭raining is a huge part of what we do,鈥 Fitzkee said, 鈥淥ne of the things I love about 草莓视频is the ability to be passionate about both research and mentoring. This project will give students an opportunity to use cutting-edge tools to work on a very practical problem. I am particularly grateful to the former Ph.D. and graduate students who have already worked in the lab, because this funding is really a testament to those who helped collect the preliminary data and write the early papers.鈥
Three Ph.D. students and several undergraduates are currently assisting with Fitzkee鈥檚 lab research. Lab activities include spectroscopic, microscopic and biophysical investigation of proteins on nanoparticles.听 聽
鈥淚 work with very talented people 鈥 students, faculty and staff alike, and the facilities at 草莓视频are top-notch,鈥 Fitzkee said.听 鈥淚鈥檓 pleased that this funding helps contribute to our department鈥檚 forward momentum.鈥
Fitzkee has received funding from several different sources, including the NIH, NSF EPSCoR and the Henry Family Foundation prior to his NIH R01 grant. For more information on the NIH, visit .
鈥淒r. Fitzkee is making deep impressions on the academic community that works at the intersection of chemistry, biology and physics,鈥 said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis. 鈥淗e is clearly becoming one of the university鈥檚 leading researchers, and his work is helping to increase our national reputation.鈥
鈥淲e are grateful for the level of diligence Dr. Fitzkee invests in his work and his dedication to students,鈥 Travis added.
A native of York, Pennsylvania, Fitzkee received his Ph.D. in biophysics in 2005 from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in computational physics in 2001 from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
MSU鈥檚 Department of Chemistry was founded in 1878 and hosts the oldest American Chemical Society accredited program in the state.听
The College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,200 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments.听Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences or the chemistry department may be found at聽 or .听 聽聽
草莓视频is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.听