Preventing Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infections represent a critical unmet medical need. Development of an effective vaccine would not only reduce the morbidity associated with these infections, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, chronic pelvic pain and ectopic pregnancy, but could also reduce collateral riss including HIV transmission. Despite decades of efforts, no vaccine is currently available. The ability to generate a useful vaccine has been limited by 1) the lack of an effective method to deliver antigens that will elicit protective humeral and cell-mediated responses, and 2) the identification of specific antigenic sequences that would protect individuals from the Ct strains that cause sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The proprietary nutritive immune-enhancing delivery system (NIDS) developed by EpitoGenesis, Inc. and the broad-based sequence assessment performed by the Dean lab, in addition to the exciting preliminary data on an Ct and HIV-1 vaccine constructs, provide a unique opportunity to finally obtain an efficacious vaccine that can protect against vaginal transmission of Ct through the use of the novel antigenic constructs formulated with the novel, safe and effective NIDS for mucosal and systemic vaccinations. Furthermore, combinations of mucosal and systemic vaccination routes, lack of sequence homology to human antigens, and promising preliminary results from both EpitoGenesis and the Dean lab warrant a novel vaccine design and vaccination approach that hold promise of success.

Public Health Relevance

The proprietary, Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) antigenic constructs developed by Dr. Deborah Dean, and the nutritive immune-enhancing delivery system (NIDS) developed by EpitoGenesis, provide a unique opportunity to develop an efficacious vaccine that can protect against vaginal transmission of Ct.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants - Phase I (R41)
Project #
5R41AI096706-02
Application #
8481512
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IMM-N (12))
Program Officer
David, Hagit S
Project Start
2012-06-05
Project End
2014-05-31
Budget Start
2013-06-01
Budget End
2014-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$300,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Epitogenesis, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
828750385
City
Storrs
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06268
Patel, Sapna; Akalkotkar, Archana; Bivona 3rd, Joseph J et al. (2016) Vitamin A or E and a catechin synergize as vaccine adjuvant to enhance immune responses in mice by induction of early interleukin-15 but not interleukin-1? responses. Immunology 148:352-62
Patel, Sapna; Vajdy, Michael (2015) Induction of cellular and molecular immunomodulatory pathways by vitamin A and flavonoids. Expert Opin Biol Ther 15:1411-28
Pickard, Joseph M; Maurice, Corinne F; Kinnebrew, Melissa A et al. (2014) Rapid fucosylation of intestinal epithelium sustains host-commensal symbiosis in sickness. Nature 514:638-41