USC School of Pharmacy research associate Heather Owens has won the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute’s 2008 Ortho-McNeil Infectious Disease Research Fellowship, the only one awarded nationwide, and the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Clinical Pharmacy Post-Pharm.D. Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences for 2009.

Owens will bridge two translational research programs at the school as she conducts her investigation – the infectious disease research of Annie Wong-Beringer, vice chair of the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, and the cystic fibrosis research of associate professor Paul Beringer.

The fellowship award conferred by the American College, the body that sets the standards for all fellowship training in pharmacy, is considered among the most prestigious in infectious disease pharmacy. Owens’ award from the American Foundation is one of only two that it grants each year.

In the laboratory, Owens will investigate the interaction between microbes and human cell lines in an effort to identify better drug targets to treat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Wong-Beringer focuses on the “bugs,” bacteria such as MRSA and pseudomonas, and explores the resistance and virulence of these bugs against drug therapies and how they affect patient outcomes.

Beringer’s work is “host” centered, looking at how the host cells respond to the invading bugs by monitoring which genes turn on or off in response to the bugs’ presence. The two research programs provide Owens with the unique set-up necessary to complete her work.

In the laboratory, Owens will infect human lung cells with the bacterium pseudomonas and study how the host cells react.

“As a first step, I’ll be looking at which genes turn on to fight these bacteria and also look at which genes in the bacterium turn on to allow them to invade the hosts,” said Owens, who has both Pharm.D. and M.S. degrees. “Then I’ll inject the cultures with various drugs, evaluating the impact on both the bugs and the host.”

The in vitro model allows Owens to screen compounds that may have a positive effect on fighting these invaders. In addition, the lab tests provide information on drug toxicity and dosing.

Owens’ work promises to bring the labs of the married Wong-Beringer and Beringer closer together.

“This is a unique fellowship because of the translational aspect – Heather is doing work in the laboratory and then moving on to clinical trials, testing the compounds on patients,” said Wong-Beringer, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy.

The goal of their integrated research programs is to discover new ways of using existing compounds as well new chemical entities in clinical drug development.

“Heather’s work will achieve a better understanding of the host and bacterial interaction and then take advantage of existing drugs with known safety profiles,” Beringer said.

Owens hopes to ultimately pursue an academic career that will allow her to teach while doing research.

“It’s very rewarding to have the experience of working across two labs,” she said. “I’m getting the best of both worlds – the laboratory and the clinical setting. And it’s fun that my preceptors are married.”