Game-changing research collaboration starts: Vax2Muc will pave the way for next-generation vaccines against gastrointestinal mucosal pathogens
The constant rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has a major impact on global public health, and novel strategies to prevent and treat bacterial infections are urgently required. The development of effective vaccines as an alternative to treatment with antibiotics would be an attractive cost-effective alternative - and a game changer for patients.
For many bacterial infections effective vaccines simply do not exist. This is especially true for infections that occur on mucosal sites, such as in the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, such infections are incredibly common: Half of the world´s population is affected by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a pathogen that resides in the stomach and causes chronic bacterial infection with a high risk of progression to gastric cancer. The standard-of-care for H. pylori infection is still an antibiotic therapy, which means the rise in AMR that we currently see severely hampers effective treatment. Therefore the WHO recently declared H. pylori a priority neglected AMR target pathogen and emphasized that rapid intervention is urgently required.
Against this backdrop, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) announced today the launch of Vax2Muc (“Next generation vaccines against gastrointestinal mucosal pathogens, using helicobacter pylori as a model pathogen”), an international and interdisciplinary research collaboration that sets out to develop improved, innovative, next generation subunit vaccines effective against diseases caused by AMR mucosal pathogens colonising the GI tract. Over the next 5 years, the project will receive more than 8.4 million Euro funding from the European Union’s research programme Horizon Europe. An international research team led by Prof Markus Gerhard will develop a prophylactic H. pylori vaccine candidate that will be evaluated in a phase I clinical trial. Moreover, the consortium will advance GMP manufacturing, investigate and progress novel vaccine technologies and strategies for optimised mucosal immunity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
In addition to the coordinating instution TUM and LINQ, who will provide project management support and guide dissemination and comunication activities, the Vax2Muc consortium brings together world-leading institutions that are perfectly placed to evaluate new technologies with the potential to close existing gaps in the prevention of bacterial infections. These include (in alphabetical order) Faculdade De Farmácia Da Universidade De Lisboa, Helmholtz Centre For Infection Research, InStar Technologies a.s., IRTA Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, Statens Serum Institut, Trinity College Dublin, Universiteit Antwerpen, and University of Strathclyde.
