Navy Researchers and Collaborators Testing a Vaccine for Traveler's Diarrhea
By Doris Ryan, Naval Medical Research Center Public Affairs
SILVER SPRING, Md. (NNS) -- A vaccine to protect against
Campylobacter jejuni was recently approved for human clinical trials by the
Food and Drug Administration.
Researchers at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC)
began an FDA approved phase 1 clinical trial for a C. jejuni vaccine at the
Walter Reed Army Research Institute Clinical Trials Center in April. C. jejuni
is a global health problem and is a leading cause of diarrhea in deployed
military personnel and international travelers.
2009 Science and Technology Medal Recipient, Dr. Patricia Guerry, a senior scientist at NMRC, was one of
the first molecular microbiologists to address the health concerns of
Campylobacter in the 1980s, a decade after it was first discovered and
recognized as a cause of human diseases. Teaming up with Dr. Mario Monteiro,
from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, Guerry oversaw the design and
development of a prototype C. jejuni vaccine.
The NMRC Enteric Diseases Department's research program is
centered on the development of effective countermeasures to prevent or abate
bacterial diarrhea, with most efforts aimed at vaccine research and
development. NMRC researchers have identified many surface structures of the
bacteria, found how it invades human cells, and characterized many aspects of
the immune response. This work continues with the use of comparative genomics,
expression arrays, and studies to try to better understand the protective
immune response, all of which will enable researchers to develop an effective
vaccine.
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