March 25, 2011
Dr. Song Lee has recently been awarded a $30,000 NSERC Discovery Grant for his research on "Cell Envelope Modulation in Oral Streptococci".
This funding will support Dr. Lee's ongoing research into the mechanisms that oral bacteria use to adjust their cell surfaces as they interact with their environment. Bacteria interact with their surroundings using components on their cell surfaces and they can adjust these components to adapt to changing conditions. Oral bacteria live in an environment that changes frequently (as we eat and drink) and are therefore good candidates to study this phenomenon. Dr. Lee's research uses molecular and biochemical techniques to identify, and determine the role of, the various genes and proteins involved in cell surface modulation in the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii.
The results of Dr. Lee's research will improve our overall understanding of the adaptation, survival and success of bacteria and may allow the development of better strategies to combat disease-causing bacteria.