For over a century, El Paso has long been a sanctuary for people affected by tuberculosis. It can soon be home to groundbreaking research that forestalls the debilitating disease. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso infectious disease researcher Subramanian Dhandayuthapani, Ph.D., has been awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to analyze tuberculosis. The announcement was made ahead of World Tuberculosis Day, which is recognized every 12 months on March 24.
Often called Dr. Pani on campus, the researcher’s five-year grant will explore developing latest vaccines to forestall tuberculosis, which affects over 10 million people worldwide annually.
We’re incredibly happy with Dr. Pani’s remarkable achievement in being awarded the NIH R01 grant for his research on tuberculosis. This transformational grant will support Dr. Pani and his team’s revolutionary work to enhance our understanding of this infectious disease and develop latest, preventive vaccines for tuberculosis. The impact of this research will address health disparities within the underserved communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. We look ahead to the progress his research will bring to our Borderplex community and beyond.”
Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., TTUHSC El Paso President
The oldest and most generally sought-after source of funding on the NIH, R01 grant applications are highly competitive. The success rate is as little as 10%, meaning that only a fraction of applicants are successful in obtaining funding. As a testament to their importance, R01 grants often establish a framework for best practices or standards of care throughout the health care career.
Tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease brought on by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affects the lungs. It’s a significant public health concern, with the World Health Organization rating it because the thirteenth leading reason behind death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, with 10.6 million men, women and youngsters afflicted by the disease. The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis strains has made the treatment even more difficult, emphasizing the necessity for brand new drugs and therapies.
Tuberculosis is a serious public health issue in El Paso County and in underserved communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Based on the Texas Department of State Health Services, the incidence rate of tuberculosis in El Paso County in 2020 was 2.7 cases per 100,000 people, which is higher than the state average of 1.9 cases per 100,000 people and the national average of two.3 cases per 100,000 people. The incidence rate of tuberculosis in Texas border counties was 2.8 cases per 100,000 people in 2020.
Working in collaboration with Shrikanth Gadad, Ph.D., M.Sc., and Jessica Chacon, Ph.D., from TTUHSC El Paso and Chinnaswamy Jagannath, Ph.D., from Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Dr. Pani’s work will leverage the most recent advances in genomics, immunology and bioinformatics. Their focus is on the event of improved new-generation BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) vaccines. These serums contain a weakened strain of the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis, which is expounded to the bacteria that cause human tuberculosis. When administered, the vaccine stimulates the immune system to acknowledge and fight off similar bacteria in the longer term, thus providing protection against tuberculosis infection.
That is the second grant Dr. Pani has received from the NIH for research on this area. His first, a $492,258 grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was awarded in 2021.
“Our research on tuberculosis vaccine development is just not only about finding latest treatments but in addition improving health outcomes for patients world wide,” said Dr. Pani. “By identifying latest targets and developing latest treatments, we will help alleviate the burden of this disease. I’m honored to receive this NIH R01 grant, and excited concerning the potential impact our research could have on stopping this disease.”
Dr. Pani can be a professor with TTUHSC El Paso’s Center of Emphasis for Infectious Diseases throughout the Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine. The Center provides critical resources and expertise to support Dr. Pani’s work, including access to patient populations and advanced research technologies. In turn, his research also contributes to the middle’s broader mission of addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes for Hispanics within the region.
Collaboration among the many Centers of Emphasis and with other institutions, community organizations and stakeholders is important in addressing the complex health issues faced by Hispanics within the region. By working together, researchers develop modern approaches to health care that make a major impact on the health of the community. Through shared commitment to improving health equity and outcomes, TTUHSC El Paso’s Centers of Emphasis exhibit the facility of collaboration in achieving meaningful progress in addressing health disparities and improving the lives of those we serve.
The brand new vaccine has the potential to guard against other viral infections – it’s designed to work in a nonspecific manner, which suggests it helps the immune system fight off any viruses it encounters. That is an exciting development since it means the vaccine could have a broader impact on public health beyond just tuberculosis prevention.
Furthermore, the vaccine has shown potential in treating bladder cancer. Researchers have discovered the vaccine can stimulate the immune system to acknowledge and attack cancer cells within the bladder. This is critical because bladder cancer is the sixth commonest cancer within the U.S., and current treatments can have debilitating unintended effects. If the vaccine is successful in clinical trials, it could provide a simpler and fewer invasive treatment option for bladder cancer patients.
The Borderplex region, which spans across West Texas, Southern Recent Mexico, and Northern Mexico, is home to a lot of individuals who’re prone to developing tuberculosis attributable to high rates of poverty, migration and other aspects. The funding of Dr. Pani’s research won’t only profit this community, but in addition contribute to the worldwide effort to combat tuberculosis and improve the health of populations worldwide.
Students attending TTUHSC El Paso can have the unique opportunity to realize hands-on experience by working on the project alongside Dr. Pani and his team. While the grant is fully dedicated to research, students from the Foster School of Medicine and the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will still have the possibility to participate. The chance to work on such an impactful project is invaluable for college kids trying to further their education and careers within the medical field.
About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the one health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas which were historically underserved. It’s a delegated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the following generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom discover as Hispanic and are sometimes first-generation students.
TTUHSC El Paso was established to deal with the unique health care and academic needs of our Borderplex community. In 2023, TTUHSC El Paso celebrates its tenth anniversary as an independent university throughout the Texas Tech University System. In a decade, the university has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers, and can soon add dentists to its alumni.
Disclaimer: Research reported on this media release was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AI175837. The content is solely the responsibility of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and doesn’t necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso