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Lunchtime seminar 21 March 2019
21 March 2019, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
UCL Biochemical Engineering lunchtime seminar. Combination of multiple antigens are essential for the development of a novel vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus infection
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Arka Mukhopadhyay – UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering
Location
-
1.02Malet Place Engineering BuildingMalet PlaceLondonWC1E 7JE
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common pathogen found in the community and in hospitals. Most notably, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is resistant to many antibiotics, which is a growing public health concern. The emergence of drug-resistant strains has prompted the search for alternative treatments such as immunotherapeutic approaches. Prophylactic vaccination is the best approach to combat against MRSA since it can provide protection without any concerns regarding antibiotic resistance. To date, most clinical trials of vaccines or passive immunization against S. aureus have ended in failure. In this study, we investigated multiple proteins as possible targets for a vaccine. Mice vaccinated with these purified proteins elicited high titers of specific antibodies as well as Th1- and Th17-biased immune responses in mice. Animal test indicated a protection rate over 90% in several animal models against multiple strains of S. aureus. Interestingly, T cells transferred from the vaccinated mice to naïve mice can confer protection to the naïve mice against S. aureus challenge in skin infection models. These findings raise the hope that the candidate antigens could be developed into multivalent and serotype-independent vaccines against S. aureus infection.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jian-Dong Huang
Postgraduate at School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Prof. Huang earned his BS degree from Fudan University, Shanghai in 1988 and went to the US through the CUSBEA program to pursue his PhD study in transcriptional regulation during fruit fly embryonic pattern formation. He earned his PhD degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1994. Thereafter, Prof. Huang received his postdoctoral training in mouse genetics at National Cancer Institute, NIH in the USA from 1994-1998. During this period, Prof. Huang was the first to report that the two major intracellular transportation systems of mammalian cells, the microtubule- and actin-filament-based system directly interact with each other through their motor proteins, kinesin and myosin. He established his own laboratory at the University of Hong Kong in October 1998. Prof. Huang is now a professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.
Prof. Huang focused his research work on the studies of a highly efficient DNA engineering technology, recombineering. He has provided experimental evidence revealing the mechanism of recombineering and improved its efficiency in both E. coli and mammalian cells. He has applied this technique to genomic studies and developed more efficient methods in DNA and chromosome engineering. Since 2008, he began to pursue synthetic biology studies focus on vaccine development and cancer therapy.