SunBMT serves as a business incubator for development and commercialization of biotechnology applications through systems biology (genomic, proteomic, and advanced data mining algorithm) research. SunBMT has extensive collaborative relationships that provide cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary expertise and access to diverse, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to support innovative, cutting-edge molecular science research.

Collaborative Efforts

SunBMT has CRADAs and ongoing research collaborations related to biomarker discovery for infectious diseases, including militarily and World Health Organization relevant infectious diseases. Our collaborators include Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Naval Medical Research Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, and the DNA Diagnostic Center, Manaus, Brazil. SunBMT also has collaborations with the Veterans Administration Loma Linda Health Care System, other universities and health care facilities for discovery of early biomarker of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus.

Significant Achievements

1. Establishment of genomic and proteomic response data bases for early detection of specific infections and inflammations.
2. Detection and identification of anthrax antigen exposure in individuals within 24 hours of exposure.
3. Differentiation among active Tuberculosis, latent Tuberculosis, BCG vaccinated healthy individuals, healthy control individuals, and other infections.
4. Ongoing pharmacogenomic and pharmacoproteomic studies in collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil suggest that we will be able to detect early response to treatment of drug resistant Tuberculosis (within weeks of starting treatment), as well as early drug toxicity.
5. Ongoing collaboration with the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (NAWCWD), China Lake, for development of novel algorithms for the analysis of mass spectral data and for data mining of large genomic and proteomic (systems biology) data bases.
6. Discovery and development of a new antibiotic that is effective against gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
7. Development of a lantibiotic effective for Bacillus spores detection and decontamination.
8. Ongoing development of lantibiotic mutants to treat drug-resistant bacteria.

Publications

1. Ferguson, EW, A Flenner, G Foster, G Graubner, Y Murata, G Ooi, S Paik. Geometric diffusion approach to SELDI TOF-MS data analysis, 2009 (In press).
2. 2. Ferguson EW, A Flenner, G Hewer, Y Murata, GT Ooi, SH Paik, D Schwartzwald, A Van Nevel. Locating peaks in proteomic SELDI-TOF MS data using the Morel-Helmholtz principle. Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Signal Processing and Information Technology, Vancouver, 2006.