KENNESAW, GA — A Kennesaw State University professor is getting financial support to tackle one of the world’s growing health threats, drug-resistant bacteria.

Dr. Thomas Leeper, a professor of biochemistry at KSU, has been awarded two grants to study and produce new antibacterial treatments designed to fight infections that no longer respond to traditional medicine.

Leeper says bacterial diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide and that the rate of multi-drug-resistant bacteria is “rapidly increasing across the world,” dramatically outpacing the development of effective new drugs. “I’ll be honest, it kind of keeps me up at night. It’s really scary,” he said.

His research will focus on staph aureus, including strains known for MRSA and VRSA using what he calls an enzyme-based strategy. “This would be a protein, this would be an enzyme strategy,” Leeper explained, noting that such approaches are less explored than traditional small-molecule drug methods.

Leeper says the problem is especially critical in clinical settings, particularly with hospital-acquired infections.

WSB’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story