Microbiology Students Join Worldwide Crowdsourcing Effort to Tackle the Antibiotic Crisis

Posted by: admin on May 11, 2016, No Comments

Imagine the power of thousands of minds, worldwide, all focused on a single, critical scientific research project — to discover new antibiotics.

Crowdsourcing science is a novel and highly effective tool, and students across the globe are tackling the research needed to combat the problems of antibiotic resistance and the diminishing number of effective antibiotics.

It is also a way to engage students in active, practical, hands-on, applied science.

That is why microbiologist Joshua Loomis, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences, wanted to add ESU power to the efforts of universities participating in the Small World Initiative (SWI). Started at Yale in 2012, SWI connects science students at 109 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad in the search for new antibiotics. ESU is the fifth school in Pennsylvania to be accepted into the project.

SWI president Erika Kurt describes the program as “a unique crowdsourcing approach for the 21st century to tackle pressing global health challenges while inspiring the next generation of scientists.”

Antibiotic resistance is arguably the most serious public health threat today, said Loomis. “Multiple drug resistant tuberculosis and MRSA are just the tip of the iceberg. Bacteria are becoming resistant quicker than we can discover new antibiotics.”

According to SWI, antibiotic resistance currently accounts for an estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide annually. If allowed to continue unchecked, the number of annual deaths would balloon to 10 million by 2050 — more than the number of people who die of cancer and diabetes combined. The problem is compounded because pharmaceutical companies have shifted away from developing antibiotics.

Beginning in fall 2016, students in Loomis’s general microbiology lab will get to work.

Since two-thirds of antibiotics originate from microorganisms and fungi in soil, students will collect soil samples, catalog and document them, and perform experiments to isolate diverse bacteria. Then the organisms will be tested for possible antibiotic properties.

Soil samples can come from anywhere since the microorganisms that produce antibiotics, actinomycetes, vary in different parts of the world. “Streptomycin originated from a cow pasture near Rutgers,” Loomis said. “A student snorkeling in Key Largo found an actinomycete.”

When a likely organism is found, its DNA will be isolated to decide what it is. Loomis said SWI has already isolated several thousand microbes, and some students have already published their findings.

“This is not a traditional type of lab,” Loomis said. “This is student driven, working on cutting-edge problems. Doing real science is what sparked my interest in a science career.

“We are training the next generation of scientists. It’s not just coming to lab and mixing colored liquids together.”

Acceptance into the Small World Initiative “is a real feather in our cap,” said Maria Kitchens-Kintz, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of biological sciences, noting that students, “are helping to put issues important to human beings on the map.”

“It is a real-world, practical application,” she added. “We are very job oriented here in biology. Right from the undergraduate level we want to impart both knowledge and skills.”

Joanne Z. Bruno, J.D., provost and vice president of academic affairs, said, “It really is a small world. This project gives Dr. Loomis and students a chance to connect to other institutions in the U.S., to network and be part of the progress in finding new sources of antibiotics.”

The value of undergraduate research for students is profound, she said. “Undergraduate research is considered a best practice — to engage students in real life projects sooner rather than later. A long-term project, literature has found, is what really engages students.”

The SWI project is also a leadership and training opportunity for both faculty and students, Bruno said. And participation in the project demonstrates the commitment and expertise of ESU faculty. “I’m so proud of Dr. Loomis. He has only been here a year, and we are proud of his energy, enthusiasm and intellect, and we are thrilled that he has undertaken this project.”