Date of Release: 9 April 2002
Protein research could lead to new meningitis vaccine
New technology is leading to a vaccine against Group B Streptococci (GBS), a common cause of meningitis as well as a frequent cause of pneumonia in newborns. Key proteins have been found that can kick-start the immune system to fight these bacteria, scientists heard today (Tuesday 09 April 2002) at the spring meeting of the Society for General Microbiology at the University of Warwick.
"We have developed a method to rapidly screen for cell surface proteins in GBS, which can cause pneumonia and meningitis in newborn babies (0.7 per 1000 live births in the UK). Our lab results show that vaccines containing these proteins can protect against infection," says Dr Sean Hanniffy of the Institute of Food Research, Norwich.
"We have discovered a large number of novel GBS proteins through our LEEP (Lactococcal Expression of Exported Proteins) screening technology. Some of these proteins are present in GBS isolates representing all known serotypes, suggesting they might protect against most strains. No licenced vaccines are currently available against GBS infection," says Dr Hanniffy.
Dr Jerry Wells, Head of the Bacterial Infection & Immunity Group at IFR said, "this approach has been very successful for GBS and has also been used to discover surface proteins from Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading cause of middle ear infections in infants and pneumonia in the elderly."
"Our work in collaboration with Provalis plc, indicates that certain surface proteins from these bacteria show promise as vaccine candidates. We hope that these vaccines will be evaluated in clinical trials in the near future", says Dr Hanniffy.
For further information contact:
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Jo Belsten BSc or Dawn Barrett |
Tel: +44 (0) 1603 255 218 |
Notes for editors:
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Dr Sean Hanniffy of the Bacterial Infection & Immunity Group at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK will be giving the presentation 'Identification of surface-associated vaccine antigens in Gram-positive pathogens' (Tuesday 09 April at 14.00 hrs).
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This work was instigated at the Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge and is now continuing at IFR. It is part of a research programme aimed at enhancing the recognised potential for using food-grade lactic acid bacteria (already used in yoghurt production and probiotics) to deliver vaccines and other therapeutic molecules to the gastrointestinal tract.
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Part of this work has been published (2001) in patent applications available through the UK and European patent offices.
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To contact Dr Hanniffy telephone the IFR press room: +44 (0) 1603 255218, Fax: +44 (0) 1603 255168, E-mail: dawn.barrett@ifr.ac.uk or jo.belsten@ifr.ac.uk
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During the meeting messages can be passed on to speakers by telephoning: +44 (0)24 7652 3735 or mobile telephone +44 (0)79 2939 4363.
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For further information contact Dr Tracey Duncombe at the SGM office tel: +44 (0)118 988 1843, out of hours telephone +44 (0)118 986 8061, mobile telephone +44 (0)79 2939 4363, Fax: +44 (0)118 988 5656, E-mail: pa@sgm.ac.uk
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Full programme details of this meeting can be found on the Society's website at: http://www.sgm.ac.uk/MTGPAGES/warwick02.htm. Hard copies are available on request from the SGM.
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The Society for General Microbiology is the largest microbiology society in Europe, and has over 5,500 members world-wide. The Society provides a common meeting ground for scientists working in research and in fields with applications in microbiology including medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmaceuticals, industry, agriculture, food, the environment and education.
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The SGM represents the science and profession of microbiology to government, the media and the general public; supporting microbiology education at all levels; and encouraging careers in microbiology.
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