Development of a protein based pneumococcal vaccine

Pneumococcal infections are major contributors to mortality and morbidity worldwide and to extensive antibiotic use with the risk for resistance development.

Pneumococci are the major cause of otitis and sinusitis, but also to community-acquired pneumonia with or without sepsis, and of meningitis.

Emerging resistance to antibiotics threatens effective therapy and we need new approaches to treat and prevent these infections. Vaccines will reduce the incidence of infections and of antibiotic use.

Currently so called pneumococcal conjugated vaccines (PCVs) have been introduced in the childhood vaccination program in many countries. PCVs target up to 13 of the so far 100 described capsular serotypes.

Vaccine introduction has led to a decrease of severe infections in vaccinated children, but also to a dramatic increase of non-vaccine types causing severe infections also in non-vaccinated populations such as the elderly. Thus, novel vaccine approaches are urgently needed.

In this project we will build on our previous data where we have found that pneumococci produce membrane vesicles/particles (MPs) that we have characterized. Our preliminary data suggest that immunization with MPs give excellent cross-protection in mice.

We aim at developing a serotype independent vesicles-based vaccine and to identify the conserved antigens in the MPs that are important for protection and to generate a production platform that can be used for human challenge studies and commercialization.