Grant: Project Grant

Drug-resistant infections are a growing global health crisis that threatens the progress of modern medicine. One such threat is invasive Salmonella, a life-threatening bacterial infection that causes bloodstream infections, especially in children and immunocompromised individuals. Treatment is becoming increasingly difficult as the bacteria develop resistance to the most powerful antibiotics. This project, led by Canadian scientists, will uncover how Salmonella evades the immune system and survives inside immune cells. We aim to identify how the immune system fights Salmonella, how the bacteria fight back, and how these interactions cause disease. Understanding this arms race will allow us to find weak points that can be targeted by new therapies that we explore in this research proposal. We will pursue three goals. First, we will map out how Salmonella adapts inside immune cells and identify which immune responses are most effective. Second, we will develop drug combinations that restore the power of "last-resort" antibiotics by using small molecules that work together with the drug to kill resistant bacteria. Third, we will identify existing drugs that can be repurposed to boost the immune system's ability to clear Salmonella infections. This research will support Canada's role in global health innovation by addressing an emerging disease that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, even in Canada. Our discoveries will contribute to international efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and improve health equity worldwide.