BYU chemistry professor receives $2.9 million NIAID grant - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU chemistry professor receives $2.9 million NIAID grant

A faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Brigham Young University recently received a $2.9 million research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The grant will fund Paul Savage's continuing research on a family of antimicrobial agents that he developed called ceragenins.

Savage refers to ceragenins as “mimics” of the body's antimicrobial peptides, compounds that act as the body’s front-line defenses against infection and many diseases.

“Often people who suffer from infections do not have sufficient of these antimicrobial peptides to naturally battle intruding bacteria and viruses,” he said. “Medical experts have traditionally prescribed various types of antibiotic medications to help the body's natural defenses fight infection. However, many bacteria can develop a resistance to these antibiotics, rendering them largely ineffective.”

Savage’s “mimics” are so similar to the body's natural peptides that they can often evade many of the complications typically associated with more traditional antibiotics. He identifies the inability of bacteria to develop resistance to ceragenins as a major benefit that may allow new antibiotics to successfully battle infections that other medicines have heretofore failed to eradicate.

“Ceragenins are active against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms,” he said. Furthermore, ceragenins maintain their effectiveness for an extended period of time, making them more efficient than many other drugs.

“Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is increasing at an alarming rate,” Savage said. “The ceragenins do not readily engender resistance, so it is likely that they can be used for extended periods without having bacteria become immune to their effects.”

As a result of these unique properties, patients could potentially enjoy the positive effects of these new antibiotics longer than they otherwise could with traditional medications.

Savage’s NIAID grant will allow for further exploration of this medical breakthrough that could yield widespread advantages in the near future.

For more information, contact Paul Savage at (801) 422-4020.

Writer: Natalie Wilson

Paul Savage Forum pic.jpg
Photo by LDS Church Public Affairs

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

BYU’s 2025 awards season honors student standouts

May 15, 2025
Rise and shout! Across various disciplines, BYU students have been recognized for their world-class accomplishments.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Student inventors help BYU rank as a top U.S. university for newly-issued patents

May 12, 2025
Brigham Young University was just ranked as one of the Top 100 universities in the nation for most issued patents. But the new ranking from the National Academy of Inventors isn’t the story for BYU; it’s who holds the patents.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU research: Your beliefs about money may reveal clues about your relationship

May 07, 2025
Everyone holds their own beliefs about money – what it’s for, how much we need and how to use it. But a new study from researchers at BYU says personal beliefs about money also shape the health of your relationship.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=