Surfactant-vesicle based gonorrhea vaccine

Vaccination is the most cost-effective method for controlling and eradicating infectious diseases. Its significant impact on human health is exemplified by the eradication of smallpox and the elimination of poliomyelitis from most of the world and measles in many developed countries. With the emergence of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, it is imperative that we generate a vaccine for this disease. However, generating vaccines against gonorrhea using traditional approaches has failed and novel strategies are needed. The hypothesis to be tested in this proposal is that cell surface components, incorporated into or associated with negatively-charged catanionic vesicles will reduce their toxicity while retaining their immunogenicity of these components, and that immunization with these vesicles will be capable of inducing a protective immune response. We will test this hypothesis by constructing a vaccine derived from N. gonorrhoeae, characterize the elicited immune response using general principles of vaccine quality control, and determine the safety of the vaccine and vaccine vehicle.