Project Details

Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance Through a Klebsiella Pneumoniae Vaccine

Kaitlin Winter, PhD

Summary

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise and is a major threat to human health. Several bacteria have been identified as an urgent threat as they are rapidly developing resistance to all antibiotics. Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) one of these and is a leading cause of infections in children worldwide. Vaccines are a globally recognized strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance. GAP: There is currently no Kp vaccine available on the market. We have developed Kp vaccine candidates that target one protein but have not yet identified the ideal combination of protein targets for a vaccine that protects against many strains of Kp. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesize that a Kp vaccine that combines several targets will induce an immune response that can recognize a wider variety of Kp strains. METHODS: We will vaccinate mice with combinations of 4-5 targets and will examine the breadth of the immune response elicited against a panel of globally relevant Kp strains. RESULTS: Pending. IMPACT: This project aims to develop a vaccine formulation that is ready for human phase 1 clinical trials and would be the first broadly protective Kp vaccine. An effective Kp vaccine would prevent not only antimicrobial resistant infections, but all Kp infections experienced by neonates and children worldwide.