Robert Shields, a faculty member at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, has secured a federal grant to conduct research into dental tooth decay, the university announced.
Shields, the principal investigator for the grant, will lead a team of faculty members, doctoral degree candidates, student researchers and lab professionals who will research the molecular mechanisms underlying tooth decay pathogens. Shields is an assistant professor of microbiology in the Department of Biological Sciences at A-State’s Beck College of Sciences and Mathematics.
The $1.8 million grant is funded through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funds will support the work of the research team and provide a supply of chemical reagents, travel expenses to present results at conferences and other expenses associated with the work over a five-year period.
“In this study, we will investigate the movement of genetic information between bacteria, a process that spreads antibiotic resistance and fuels pathogen evolution,” Shields said in a press release. “We will focus our studies on understanding this process in the oral cavity and determining the role it plays in assisting in the development of tooth decay.”
The grant represents the eighth NIH award in A-State history. It is also the largest NIH grant in the university’s history.
A related development with A-State’s research enterprise is set to begin in February.
“As part of our expansion of NIH-funded programs, A-State has been selected in a new program called Engagement and Access for Research-Active Institutions, which will assist campus researchers with identifying appropriate funding opportunities from NIH,” Travis Marsico, vice provost for research, innovation and discovery, and executive director of Arkansas Biosciences Institute at A-State, said in the release. “Fourteen faculty members have expressed interest, and Shields has agreed to mentor faculty pursuing NIH funding. His efforts have been successful, and he has built a strong relationship with his NIH program director.”
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