Showing Grants 1 to 10 of 14 |
| Excreting HIV Using Antibodies |
| | Edward Dolk, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands - NL |
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Edward Dolk of Utrecht University in the Netherlands proposes using two-sided antibodies, which bind to HIV and to transport receptors in the epithelium. Binding these receptors will cause excretion of the HIV particles outside of the body, thereby reducing viral load. |
| Inducing Autophagy in Dendritic Cells By DNA Delivery |
| | Tanapat Palaga, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand - TH |
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Tanapat Palaga of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand seeks to create a novel DNA vaccine delivery system that targets dendritic cells in GI mucosal tissues. Using chitosan nanoparticles to encapsulate DNA plasmid and protect it from stomach acid, this potential vaccine construct will contain both an antigen and an autophagy-inducing gene to enhance the vaccine’s efficacy. |
| Induction of HIV Protective Mucosal Antibodies |
| | Claudia Pastori, Fondazione S. Raffaele del Monte Tabor, Milan, Italy - IT |
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Claudia Pastori of Fondazione S. Raffaele del Monte Tabor in Italy seeks to induce mucosal immunity against HIV by using a bacterial adhesive protein to target antigens to specific cells. The goal of this approach is to present conserved epitopes of HIV in their natural form to elicit the production of protective antibodies in the tissues where these antibodies will be effective. |
| Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase to Treat and Prevent Diarrhea |
| | Madhu Malo, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States - US |
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Madhu Malo of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the U.S. will investigate whether maintaining the normal intestinal commensal bacteria using oral supplementation of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), a small intestinal brush-border enzyme, will prevent or cure infection by pathogenic bacteria. A successful project would generate a universal prophylactic and therapeutic strategy against diarrheal diseases. |
| Metabolic Engineering of Salmonella and Shigella Vaccines |
| | Craig Morita, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States - US |
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Craig Morita of the University of Iowa in the U.S. will engineer Salmonella and Shigella vaccine vectors to overproduce an essential antigen to stimulate gamma delta T cells, to boost mucosal immune response against these enteric pathogens. |
| Nanoparticle Mucosal Vaccine Platform from Eggshell Proteins |
| | Allison Ficht, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States - US |
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Allison Ficht of Texas A&M Health Science Center in the U.S. will develop a new TB immunization delivery system based on the protein used by parasitic worms to seal their egg case. This “sticky coating” for nanoparticle vaccines could protect antigens during intranasal administration, affix them to the nasal mucosa and erode in a controlled way to slowly release antigens for enhanced immune response against tuberculosis. |
| New Intravaginal Delivery System to Induce Mucosal Immunity |
| | Emmanuel Ho, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States - US |
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Emmanuel Ho of University of Utah in the U.S. will develop a polyether urethane (PU) intra-vaginal ring designed to slowly release the HIV peptide gp120, as well as the cytokine IL-12 as an adjuvant, directly into the vaginal mucosa to stimulate a sustained mucosal immune response. |
| New Whole-Species Pneumococcal Vaccines |
| | Jeremy Webb, School of Biological Sciences, Southampton, United Kingdom - GB |
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Jeremy Webb and collaborators at the School of Biological Sciences in the United Kingdom will search for unique proteins that allow pneumococcal bacteria to form biofilms on mucosal surfaces. The team will use laser capture micro-dissection “laser tweezers” to dissect these bacterial communities with the goal of finding antigens common to all serotypes and could be used as the basis for future vaccines. |
| Potentiating Mucosal Vaccines by RANKL Induction of M Cells |
| | Ifor Williams, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States - US |
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Ifor Williams of Emory University School of Medicine in the U.S. will test the theory that a newly characterized cytokine that triggers the development of M cells can be used as an adjuvant to boost immunity in mucosal surfaces and lead to greater uptake of vaccines. |
| Programming T cell Homing to Induce Gut-Selective Immunity |
| | Federica Marelli-Berg, Imperial College London, Division of Medicine, London, United Kingdom - GB |
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Federica Marelli-Berg of Imperial College London, Division of Medicine in the UK will test the theory that using “homing factors” as vaccine adjuvants will induce the development of memory T cells thereby generating site-specific immunity against pathogens in the gut. |