Infectious disease work of Sperandio earns GSK 2014 Discovery Fast Track recognition

By Deborah Wormser

Dr. Vanessa Sperandio, Professor of Microbiology and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is one of 14 winners of the GSK 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge, a GlaxoSmithKline-based selection program designed to speed the translation of academic research into novel medical therapies.

Dr. Sperandio in her lab
Dr. Vanessa Sperandio

Dr. Sperandio’s proposal to study new ways to treat bacterial infections was chosen by officials in the second-year challenge from 428 entries submitted by 234 universities and academic institutes in 26 countries. Winners will work with scientists in the company’s Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc) and its Molecular Discovery Research team to test their hypotheses and screen targets against GSK’s compound library. Active compounds could then form the basis of full drug discovery programs that may ultimately lead to innovative medicines to fight bacterial infections.

“I congratulate Dr. Sperandio for her success in this fiercely competitive program,” said Dr. Michael Norgard, Chairman of Microbiology. “Dr. Sperandio now will be able to partner with a highly respected pharmaceutical company adept in translational science, and GSK will provide extensive resources, guidance, and support that will be invaluable for rapidly advancing Dr. Sperandio’s basic science discoveries to practical clinical application.”

Duncan Holmes, European Head of the DPAc group, said, “We believe there is a real advantage in bringing together the best in academia and industry to help take innovative ideas forward in drug discovery. The Discovery Fast Track Challenge is designed to find the best ideas for collaborative drug discovery from any therapeutic area, in any geography. We look forward to working with each of the winners to help identify novel pharmacologically active compounds for their targets and being part of the researcher’s journey in making a difference.”

Dr. Sperandio, a native of Brazil, joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2001 after completing postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

“I am thrilled about this opportunity, and grateful to Dr. Norgard and Dr. Steven McKnight, Chairman of Biochemistry, for their support through my years here at UT Southwestern,” she said. “The unique collegial, collaborative, and outstanding scientific environment at UT Southwestern is a key factor in allowing my research to flourish.”

In 2013, Dr. Sperandio was elected a fellow in the American Society of Microbiology. Other honors include selection as Kavli Fellow in the Kavli Frontiers of Science (National Academies of Science 2007) and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases (2006). Dr. Sperandio’s team of microbiologists has long worked to fight the spread of harmful foodborne E. coli infections and other intestinal illnesses.

Though many E. coli bacteria are harmless and critical to gut health, some E. coli species are harmful and can be spread through contaminated food and water. Among them is enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or EHEC, one of the most common foodborne pathogens linked with outbreaks featured in the news, including the multistate U.S. outbreaks tied to raw bean sprouts and ground beef in 2014.

That same year, the UT Southwestern team discovered that EHEC uses a common gut bacterium called Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron to worsen EHEC infection. B. thetaiotaomicron is a predominant species in the gut’s microbiota, which consists of tens of trillions of microorganisms used to digest food, produce vitamins, and provide a barrier against harmful microorganisms. It was found that B. thetaiotaomicron causes changes in the environment that promote EHEC infection, in part by enhancing EHEC colonization, according to the paper, appearing in the journal Cell Host Microbe.

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Dr. McKnight holds the Sam G. Winstead and F. Andrew Bell Distinguished Chair in Biochemistry, and the Distinguished Chair in Basic Biomedical Research.

Dr. Norgard holds the B.B. Owen Distinguished Chair in Molecular Research.