Sven-Ulrik Gorr, PhD

The Gorr laboratory develops antimicrobial peptides with activity against drug-resistant Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria and their biofilms. Current projects are focused on understanding bacterial resistance mechanisms and determine how some antimicrobial peptides can overcome these mechanisms while bacteria are resistant to closely related peptides. These insights inform translational work, which is focused in bringing improved and well-characterized antimicrobial peptides to the clinic. Apart from the PI, the laboratory employs no full-time staff. Using lean principles, we find efficiencies in employing technical specialists and collaborating with leaders in their field to venture into basic microbiology, structural biology and drug development.

Gorr, S.-U., Brigman, H.V., Anderson, J.C., Hirsch, E.B. The antimicrobial peptide DGL13K is active against resistant gram-negative bacteria and subinhibitory concentrations stimulate bacterial growth without causing resistance. PLoS One, 17(8):e0273504 (2022). doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273504

Gorr S-U, Chen R, Abrahante JE, Joyce PBM. The oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis resists the antimicrobial peptide LGL13K and evades the D-enantiomer by synonymous mutations in hagA. bioRxiv. 2023:2023.09.07.556717. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.07.556717

Nandula, S. R., Huxford, I., Wheeler, T. T., Aparicio, C., Gorr, S., 2020. The parotid secretory protein BPIFA2 is a salivary surfactant that affects LPS action. Experimental Physiology, 105 (8): 1280-1292.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1113/EP088567

Gorr, S., 2020. The salivary protein BPIFA2 differentially regulates sodium preference and blood pressure in male and female mice. Experimental Results, 1 E18.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/exp.2020.23

Gorr, S. U., Flory, C. M., Schumacher, R. J., 2019. In vivo activity and low toxicity of the second-generation antimicrobial peptide DGL13K. PLoS One, 14 (5): e0216669.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216669

Hirt, H., Hall, J. W., Larson, E., Gorr, S. U., 2018. A D-enantiomer of the antimicrobial peptide GL13K evades antimicrobial resistance in the Gram positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus gordonii. PLoS One, 13 (3): e0194900.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194900

Bechinger, B., Gorr, S. U., 2017. Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms of Action and Resistance. J Dent Res, 96 (3): 254-260.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034516679973

Harmouche, N., Aisenbrey, C., Porcelli, F., Xia, Y., Nelson, S. E., Chen, X., Raya, J., Vermeer, L., Aparicio, C., Veglia, G., Gorr, S. U., Bechinger, B., 2017. Solution and Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Structural Investigations of the Antimicrobial Designer Peptide GL13K in Membranes. Biochemistry, 56 (32): 4269-4278.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00526

Chen, X., Hirt, H., Li, Y., Gorr, S. U., Aparicio, C., 2014. Antimicrobial-peptide coating that ruptures the wall of Gram positive bacteria. Dental Materials, 30 (0): e86-e87.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2014.08.177

Chen, X., Hirt, H., Li, Y., Gorr, S. U., Aparicio, C., 2014. Antimicrobial GL13K peptide coatings killed and ruptured the wall of Streptococcus gordonii and prevented formation and growth of biofilms. PLoS One, 9 (11): e111579.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111579

Balhara, V., Schmidt, R., Gorr, S. U., Dewolf, C., 2013. Membrane selectivity and biophysical studies of the antimicrobial peptide GL13K. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1828 (9): 2193-203.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2013.05.027

Holmberg, K. V., Abdolhosseini, M., Li, Y., Chen, X., Gorr, S. U., Aparicio, C., 2013. Bio-inspired stable antimicrobial peptide coatings for dental applications. Acta Biomater, 9 (9): 8224-31.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2013.06.017

Mestres, G., Abdolhosseini, M., Bowles, W., Huang, S. H., Aparicio, C., Gorr, S. U., Ginebra, M. P., 2013. Antimicrobial properties and dentin bonding strength of magnesium phosphate cements. Acta Biomater, 9 (9): 8384-93.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2013.05.032

Hirt, H., Gorr, S. U., 2013. Antimicrobial peptide GL13K is effective in reducing biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 57 (10): 4903-10.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.00311-13

Gilbertsen, A., Hirt, H., Gorr, S., Williams, B., 2013. The Antimicrobial Peptide GL13K Is Effective Against Pseudomonas Biofilms But Toxic To The Lung. American Thoracic Society International Conference American Thoracic Society, 187 A4551-A4551.
doi: doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2013.187.1_MeetingAbstracts.A4551

Abdolhosseini, M., Sotsky, J. B., Shelar, A. P., Joyce, P. B., Gorr, S. U., 2012. Human parotid secretory protein is a lipopolysaccharide-binding protein: identification of an anti-inflammatory peptide domain. Mol Cell Biochem, 359 (1-2): 1-8.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0991-2

Gorr, S. U., 2012. Antimicrobial peptides in periodontal innate defense. Front Oral Biol, 15 84-98.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000329673

Gorr, S. U., Wennblom, T. J., Horvath, S., Wong, D. T., Michie, S. A., 2012. Text-mining applied to autoimmune disease research: the Sjogren's syndrome knowledge base. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 13 119.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-13-119

Abdolhosseini, M., Nandula, S. R., Song, J., Hirt, H., Gorr, S. U., 2012. Lysine substitutions convert a bacterial-agglutinating peptide into a bactericidal peptide that retains anti-lipopolysaccharide activity and low hemolytic activity. Peptides, 35 (2): 231-8.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2012.03.017

Horvath, S., Nazmul-Hossain, A. N., Pollard, R. P., Kroese, F. G., Vissink, A., Kallenberg, C. G., Spijkervet, F. K., Bootsma, H., Michie, S. A., Gorr, S. U., Peck, A. B., Cai, C., Zhou, H., Wong, D. T., 2012. Systems analysis of primary Sjogren's syndrome pathogenesis in salivary glands identifies shared pathways in human and a mouse model. Arthritis Res Ther, 14 (6): R238.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/ar4081

US Patent #8,569,449 B2 “Synthetic peptides and peptide mimetics” (2014)

US Patent #9,914,750 “Synthetic peptides and peptide mimetics” (2018)

US Patent application US 2021/0147496 Al “Peptides, Hydrogel compositions and methods of use thereof” (2021)