D., and colleagues showed in mice that while antibodies against surface proteins can protect against pneumococcal disease, there is another mechanism of protection that doesn't require antibodies: the body has natural defenses that act as security guards, preventing the bacteria from becoming squatters in the upper respiratory tract. More recently, they
showed that this protection is centered in TH17 cells and production of the chemical messenger IL-17A.
The current study, led by Malley and Kristin Moffit, M.D. of Children's and Todd Gierahn, Ph.D., and Jessica Flechtner, Ph.D., of Genocea Biosciences, began by evaluating a comprehensive library of S. pneumoniae proteins, seeking those that stimulated TH17 cells in mice. They identified specific pneumococcal proteins that activated TH17 cells and used them to make a new vaccine formulation.
When live mice were immunized with these antigens, they showed near-complete protection from S. pneumoniae upper respiratory tract colonization. These same antigenic proteins also potently stimulated human TH17 cells from healthy adult volunteers, causing them to secrete IL-17A.
"The next steps, already in motion, are to optimize the formulation of this vaccine, confirm its efficacy and safety in animals, and then proceed to human trials," says Malley.
In further collaboration with PATH, the researchers will refine and test the most promising formulation in preclinical studies. If the vaccine proves to be effective and safe, the group will prepare an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA to begin clinical trials.
Unlike existing conjugate vaccine components, the new pneumococcal protein-based vaccine antigens are common to all strains of S. pneumoniae. The researchers hope that a combination of 3 to 5 antigens will protect against pneumococcal colon
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