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Susan Heimer, PhD

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Education

2002     Ph.D.,      Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
                              University of Maryland, Baltimore

Awards

  • 2006,  National Eye Research Travel Grant

  • 2005, Internation Society for Contact Lens Research Travel Award

  • 1999 and 1996, University of Maryland Graduate Student Research Day

    Most Outstanding Presentation

  • 1995, University of Maryland Graduate Academic Merit Award

Research Project

Microbial keratitis is a serious ocular condition that obstructs the visual path and can induce stromal necrosis leading to corneal thinning and/or perforation. Moreover, there is a significant risk of tissue scarring during post-infection healing which can also contribute to vision loss. Staphylococcus aureus is a predominant etiological agent of microbial keratitis. Both non-surgical traumas and contact lens wear are reported risk factors for these types of staphylococcal infections. S. aureus attachment to the cornea is mediated by fibronectin-binding and collagen binding proteins (Jett & Gilmore, 2002). Their respective ligands are thought to be present in higher concentrations in wounded cornea epithelium as compared to healthy tissues. Following adherence and bacterial replication, S. aureus secretes various toxins which are associated with inflammation and necrosis. We have observed that sublytic concentrations of quorum-regulated toxins influence cytokine production by cultured human corneal epithelium cells (HCEC) and corneal limbal cells (HCLE). My research objective is to assess the role Staphylococcus toxins play in disregulating the innate immune response of the corneal epithelium and study the impact of wound healing in bacterial adherence to corneal tissue.

Selected Publications

  1. T.D. Blalock, S.J. Spurr-Michaud, A.S. Tisdale, S.R. Heimer, M.S. Gilmore, V. Ramesh and I.K. Gipson. 2007. Functions of MUC16 in corneal epithelial cells. IVOS. 48:4509-4518.

  2. S.R. Heimer, D.A. Rasko, C.V. Lockatell, D.E. Johnson, and H.L.T. Mobley. 2004. Autotransporter Genes pic and tsh are associated with Escherichia coli strains that cause acute pyelonephritis and are expressed during urinary tract infection. Infect. Immun. 72:593-597.

  3. S.R. Heimer, R.A. Welch, N.T. Perna, G. Pòsfai, P.S. Evans, J.B. Kaper, F.R. Blattner, and H.L.T. Mobley. 2002. Urease of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli: Evidence for regulation by Fur and a trans-acting factor. Infect. Immun. 70:1027-1031.

  4. S.R. Heimer and H.L.T. Mobley. 2001. Interaction of Proteus mirabilis urease apoenzyme and accessory proteins identified with yeast two-hybrid technology. J. Bact. 183:1423-1433.

  5. S.R. Heimer and H.L.T. Mobley. 1998. Proteus, Infection and Immunity. In Delves and Roitt (eds), Encyclopedia of Immunology, 2nd ed. Academic Press, London.

  6. P.V. Hornbeck, J.I. Garrels, Y.Capetanaki, and S. Heimer. 1993. Vimentin expression is differentially regulated by IL-2 and IL-4. J. Immuno. 151:4013-4021.

  7. Heimer SR, Yamada A, and MS. Gilmore. Infectious Keratitis. In Levin and Albert (eds), Ocular Disease: Mechanism and Management, 1st ed.  Elsevier, London.

  8. Whiston EA, Sugi N, Kamradt MC, Sack C, Heimer SR, Engelbert M, Wawrousek EF, Gilmore MS, Ksander BR, Gregory MS. 2008

  9. AlphaB-crystallin protects retinal tissue during Staphylococcus aureus-induced endophthalmitis.  Infect. Immun. 76: 1781-90.

  10. Riccuito J., Heimer S.R., Gilmore M.S., and P. Argueso. Cell Surface O-glycans limit Staphylococcus aureus adherence to corneal epithelial cells. 2008. Infect. Immun. in press

 

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