Patricia L. Carlisle, a Ph.D. student studying the fungus Candida albicans, is congratulated by Robert Reddick, M.D., (right) interim dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
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A UT Health Science Center San Antonio Ph.D. student who has conducted nationally recognized research on a type of fungus that kills people with weakened immune systems has received a prestigious fellowship from The University of Texas System.

Patricia L. Carlisle was awarded one of two Jess Hay Chancellor’s Graduate Student Research Fellowships presented this year to encourage and support high-quality research that could benefit Texans. The $10,000 award was established by former UT System Regent Jess Hay, who served on the board of regents from 1977 through 1989, including two years as chairman.

Research could have widespread applications
Carlisle’s research focuses on Candida albicans, a type of yeast infection that is the fourth-leading cause of hospital-acquired infections in the U.S. (Edmond, et al, 1999). Her research could eventually lead to the development of treatments for these fungal infections experienced by persons with compromised immune systems, including those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, artificial joints and transplanted organs, as well as military members with burn injuries or traumatic amputations. As an example, 90 percent of HIV and AIDS patients experience fungal infections in the oral cavity. (Cannon and Chaffin, 1999)

She is a doctoral student in the laboratory of David Kadosh, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

“We are so pleased that Patricia’s work with Dr. David Kadosh is being recognized as so promising by the UT System,” said Robert Reddick, M.D., interim dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “We believe that their work could have profound effects on the treatment of Candida albicans one day.”

Understanding how the fungus grows
Carlisle’s work with Dr. Kadosh has defined changes in the form and structure of the fungus as it grows, becoming more virulent as it develops long strands of cells called hyphal filaments that the fungus uses to attach to the skin or mucous membranes inside the body. “The forming of hyphal filaments is very important in tissue invasion and other activities,” Dr. Kadosh said.

National recognition
“A clear example of the significance of her work is evidenced by her first authored publication, published in the (January 2009 edition of the) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,” a national medical journal that is recognized as one of the leading, high-impact journals in the country,” said Theresa Chiang, Ed.D., vice president of academic administration in her nomination letter for Carlisle’s award. “This article was selected by the editor as an important contribution and was highlighted by an accompanying commentary. Only three or four articles in each edition are selected for such an honor,” she said.

More recently, Carlisle’s and Dr. Kadosh’s research was published as a spotlight article in the September 2010 edition of Eukaryotic Cell, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. She also is included in a January 2008 paper in Molecular Biology of the Cell, and three more papers about the fungus are being prepared for publication.

“I am extremely honored to be a recipient of this generous award,” Carlisle said. “This research fellowship will help me to finance my education and further my research on the most common cause of human fungal disease.”

She has presented her work at national and local meetings and received a number of awards, including two from South/Central Medical Mycology Conferences. She also is supported by a fellowship through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Research Service Award program.