A 2010 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award is being presented to Alexander R. Horswill, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, for his research, publications, and potential. Sponsored by Merck Research Laboratories, the Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award is presented in memory of Irving S. Sigal, who was instrumental in the early discovery of therapies to treat HIV/AIDS, to recognize excellence in basic research in medical microbiology and infectious diseases.
Horswill received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry at Pennsylvania State University, University Park. As a Ph.D. student, he made significant contributions to understanding the mechanisms of propionate degradation in salmonella. His work resulted in 13 publications, six of which he was the first author.
During his postdoctoral fellowship, he used protein engineering methods to produce and screen cyclic peptide libraries. These studies lead to an interest in peptide quorum sensing mechanisms in Gram-positive microbes. At the University of Iowa, Horswill developed a new research program to investigate the cyclic autoinducing peptides (AIP) made by Staphylococcus aureus. His initial interest was to define the pathway for S. aureus production of AIPs. He also developed tools to biosynthesize the AIP molecule using an engineered intein from cyanobacteria. With a vast supply of AIP, he demonstrated that adding AIP results in the rapid dispersal of established S. aureus biofilms by activating quorum sensing and degrading the biofilm matrix. Recently, a transposon mutagenesis screen performed in his lab revealed a number of novel genes important for biofilm formation. His work has opened new avenues of investigation and suggest possible therapeutic approaches for treating S. aureus biofilm infections.
The Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award will be presented during the 110th General Meeting of the ASM, May 23-27, 2010 in San Diego, CA. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.