Group B streptococcus (GBS) causes invasive infections of newborns, pregnant women and adults with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes or cancer. Despite antibiotic treatment, estimated case fatality rates of 5-20% in neonates and 15-32% in adults establish the prevention of GBS infections as a public health priority. Peptide immunogens that mimic the structure of GBS capsular polysacharide (CPS) antigens would provide an alternate vaccine strategy, compared to currently tested CPS-conjugates for induction of maternal antibodies to prevent neonatal infection. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop a multi-valent peptide mimotope vaccine for prevention of GBS infections caused by the predominant serotypes Ia, Ib, II, III, and V. The proposed work is a direct extension of research identifying peptides that mimic type III CPS. Phase I use anti-CPS antibodies to select phage libraries to identify peptides that bind uniquely to the antibodies; and to determine whether the selected peptides are true mimotopes of the CPS. Phase II innovative vaccine approaches utilizing peptide mimotopes of microbial polysaccharides offer the design and development of T-dependent immune responses and better immunologic memory for prevention of disease.

Proposed Commercial Applications

A successful GBS vaccine incorporated into prenatal care would the most cost-effective prevention of GBS infection in newborns. The vaccine would have a large market potential among child-bearing women and possibly adults with underlying medical conditions. In addition, the generation of serotype-specific monoclonal antibody reagents and serotype-specific peptide mimetics could be marked as diagnostic and epidemiological research tools. The proposed 3D pulse sequence family will e made available for MRI scanners of all major MR hardware manufacturers equipped with high- performance gradient systems, it will help 3D MRI to become a major diagnostic tool in modern radiology and in-vivo imaging research in general by overcoming many of the obstacles, such as the long acquisition time, that are holding back current 3D MRI techniques.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase I (R43)
Project #
5R43AI051086-02
Application #
6622277
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-VACC (10))
Program Officer
Rubin, Fran A
Project Start
2002-05-15
Project End
2004-10-31
Budget Start
2003-05-01
Budget End
2004-10-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$280,902
Indirect Cost
Name
Ligocyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
942922956
City
Bozeman
State
MT
Country
United States
Zip Code
59718