Allyson Shea
University of South Alabama, AL·Microbiology & Immunology
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common infectious disease worldwide. They are usually caused by bacteria that climb from the bladder to the kidneys.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
urinary tract infection
pyelonephritis
urosepsis
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Apr 2028
What they work on
- Test whether bacterial urinary tract infection triggers amyloid-beta to accumulate in the kidney, and whether this tracks with bacterial burden, using a mouse UTI model.
- Determine whether amyloid-beta shifts from a protective, microbe-killing role to one that drives harmful inflammation and kidney injury during pyelonephritis in mice.
- Evaluate amyloid-beta as a blood marker of infection severity, building on findings that ICU sepsis patients, but not uninfected ICU patients, show elevated plasma amyloid-beta.
More about the research
Severe cases can lead to urosepsis, a body-wide response to infection that is the leading cause of sepsis acquired in hospitals, with death rates as high as 40%. It is still unclear what drives the kidney damage in these infections. This project explores an unexpected suspect: amyloid-beta (Aβ), a peptide best known for forming plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
Severe UTIs can spread to the kidneys and cause urosepsis, which is often fatal and can leave survivors with lasting health problems. Treatments that help clear Aβ already exist for other diseases. If Aβ drives kidney damage in infection, it could become a blood biomarker, a measurable sign of disease, as well as a treatment target for patients with pyelonephritis or urosepsis.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Mohammad Al-bataineh
University of Pittsburgh, PA·Microbiology & Immunology
Characterize how uropathogenic E. coli binds MUC1, a sugar-coated protein on urinary tract cells. Use purified MUC1 and cells with different MUC1 levels and sugar patterns to test whether it acts as a docking receptor or a decoy.
Nicole Gilbert
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Microbiology & Immunology
Optimize the design and fabrication of 3D-bioprinted catheter tubing that carries live Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a probiotic strain, for long-lasting release of bacteria, lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
John Wiener
Duke University, NC·Medicine & Clinical Research
Continue following newborns and young children with myelomeningocele through the UMPIRE protocol of clinical, laboratory, imaging and urodynamic testing into school age, to assess the protocol's long-term benefits and risks.
The school
University of South Alabama: 5 labs on PI Pages, $70M a year on research, 53 research doctorates a year.
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