Edward B Walker

Weber State University, USA



Biography

Edward B Walker is a Presidential Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Weber State University. He has obtained his Doctorate in Chemistry at Texas Tech University and continued his education as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Stanford University College of Medicine in Biochemical Pharmacology. He was selected as the Founding Director for the Utah Center of Excellence for Chemical Technology in 1990. He has numerous patents and peer-reviewed publications and is active in many professional societies and organizations including the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), American Chemical Society, American Society for Pharmacognosy, The Society of Cosmetic Chemistry and others. He has received many awards, for both his teaching and research, including the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology.

Abstract

Bacterial infections are the foremost cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Increasing antibiotic resistance is a serious challenge to the strategy of treating bacterial infections by local or systemic use of antimicrobial agents. One promising alternative approach to the prevention of bacterial infections focuses on inhibiting pathogen adhesion to host cells. The search for novel bacterial anti-adherence agents has grown dramatically in recent years. Interdisciplinary research teams formed from a wide variety of physical and life scientists, clinicians, engineers and others have
accelerated the discoveries in this arena. The majority of anti-adherence agents reported to date have been discovered in foods. Some of these food-derived compounds exert their effects in the oral cavity, stomach, intestines, and the urinary tract. To identify these active components, fruits, berries, seeds, tubers, and whole plants are often extracted into solvents, followed by subsequent partitioning into fractions that are then subjected to an assortment of assays. Some assays are based upon direct microscopic observation of bacterial adhesion, while others depend on model systems or bioassays that measure the effects of adherence antagonists. Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) extracts are the source of the most extensively studied anti-adhesive components to date. Since the discovery of proanthocyanidins anti-adherence activity two decades ago, published accounts of research on cranberry’s anti-adherence activity have increased exponentially as has the availability of commercial cranberry products. Numerous other foods are being studied for ingredients and similar activities. The history of the discovery of cranberry’s active ingredients will be described, in hopes of stimulating more research into the discovery of more novel anti-adherence agents.
 
Recent Publications
 
1. E B Walker, R A Mickelsen, J N Mickelsen and B Roth (1996) Purified cranberry anti-adhesion activity. US Patent 5525341.
 
2. E B Walker, R A Mickelsen and J N Mickelsen (1997) Cranberry extract and biologically active compounds derived therefrom. US Patent 5646178.
 
3. Â Luís, F Domingues and L Pereira (2017) Can cranberries contribute to reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections? a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of clinical trials. J Urology Adult Urology 198(3):614-621.
 
4. D González de Llano, A Esteban-Fernández, F Sánchez-Patán, PJ Martínlvarez, MV Moreno-Arribas and B Bartolomé (2015) Anti-adhesive activity of cranberry phenolic compounds and their microbial-derived metabolites against uropathogenic Escherichia coli in bladder epithelial cell cultures. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 16(6):12119-
12130.