CSUSM Faculty Member's Research May Lead to Vaccine for Tuberculosis

CSUSM Faculty Member's Research May Lead to Vaccine for TuberculosisDr. Bianca Mothé receives Fulbright grant to perform important research in Brazil.Dr. Bianca Mothé, associate professor of biological sciences at CSUSM, has been selected as a Fulbright scholar grantee and will be traveling to Brazil to study the impact of cellular immune responses in tuberculosis (TB) infection in collaboration with researchers at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and Dr. Alessandro Sette at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. Mothé will spend a total of seven months at the FIOCRUZ, the largest biomedical research institution in Latin America and one of the most respected in the world, four of which will be supported by the Fulbright Grant.  Her research may impact the development of safe and effective vaccines for mycobacterium TB, a common and often deadly infectious disease that is spread through the air from one person to another.The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is an international exchange program designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."  With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns."I am honored to receive this Fulbright award as it provides a unique opportunity to develop this collaboration," said Mothé.  "We will provide technical expertise to identify cellular immune responses to a very special population of TB patients in Brazil.  Data from these studies may contribute to a much needed TB vaccine for a disease that kills millions every year."