WKU News

Dr. Simran Banga, associate professor in the WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering has been awarded a four-year NIH R16 Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue research that investigates how epigenetic modulations in host cell aids in survival and replication of Legionella pneumophila. The award for the current fiscal year is for $177,467 and over the next four years, the grant is expected to total $709,868.

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of a respiratory infection Legionnaires’ disease, is a bacterial pathogen that causes inflammatory pneumonia in the lungs. The research proposed by Dr. Banga aims to understand how bacterial proteins alter gene expression patterns through epigenetic changes during an infection to hijack cellular processes. Thus, bacteria can change the way our body cells function.

This study will contribute to better understanding of bacterial pathogenesis which can help in designing new therapeutic approaches.

This project will expand research and education experience for undergraduate students at Western Kentucky University as the undergraduate students will be highly involved in the NIH-funded project. 

This is Dr. Banga’s third award in last two years. She was awarded an NSF award in 2023 to acquire a Flow Cytometer and an NIH award this summer for an Electrophoresis Imaging system.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.