UR Biology Professor Laura Runyen-Janecky Receives More Than $400K in NIH Grant Funding for Microbiology Research

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — University of Richmond biology professor Laura Runyen-Janecky has been awarded more than $400,000 in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to support her microbiology research.

Runyen-Janecky and her students will study Sodalis glossinidius, a bacterium that resides in the gut of the tsetse fly, to better understand its ability to survive and proliferate in this blood-rich environment. 

Tsetse flies — large, biting flies that inhabit much of sub-Saharan Africa — feed exclusively on the blood of vertebrate animals and carry the parasites that are the causative agents of African trypanosomiasis (also called sleeping sickness), which is fatal to both humans and animals if left untreated. 

Trypanosomes are microscopic parasites that are generally found in many places in the fly, including the gut. While only a small percentage of tsetse flies are infected with trypanosomes, they all house a mixed population of bacteria, including S. glossinidius in some flies. A correlation has been found between a large amount of S. glossinidius and trypanosomes in tsetse flies, which Runyen-Janecky’s research team will further investigate.

“Millions of people and domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of infection each year,” said Runyen-Janecky. “This research may inform future disease control strategies aimed at reducing trypanosome transmission through the tsetse fly.” 

Runyen-Janecky has received previous NIH awards for her microbiology research and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles about her findings, many of them with University of Richmond undergraduate co-authors. She also documents her teaching and research on the Runyen-Janecky Lab blog.

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