Assistant Professor Carolyn Ibberson at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has received a four-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support research on infections in chronic wounds.

The R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences is designed to allow researchers to take on ambitious scientific projects and approach problems with creativity, following new research directions as opportunities arise.

“This award gives the flexibility to pursue high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research to understand why some wounds fail to heal and identify strategies to promote wound healing,” Ibberson said. 

The grant will support undergraduate and graduate student research opportunities in Ibberson’s lab in the Department of Microbiology as well as collaborations with the UT Medical Center, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and other organizations. 

Ibberson is investigating how microbial communities assemble and the “rules” that govern microbe-microbe metabolic interactions. Better understanding how microbes interact will support the long-term goal of designing novel therapeutic strategies that leverage these interactions to promote wound healing and prevent infection.

By Amy Beth Miller