# Antibody mediated protective immunity against cholera

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2021 · $757,955

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY
 Vibrio cholerae is endemic in 47 countries and causes 3 million cases of cholera and 100,000 deaths
annually. In addition, V. cholerae also causes large epidemics of disease. However, while oral cholera
vaccines (OCVs) are increasingly being used to prevent cholera epidemics, there has not yet been a
systematic effort to use vaccines in endemic areas which account for over 95% of the global cholera burden.
 One reason for the hesitancy to widely implement vaccination as a public health strategy is that current
cholera vaccines have significant immunologic limitations. For example, a recent trial of a killed OCV in
Bangladesh demonstrated a 37% protective efficacy. In contrast, natural infection with V. cholerae provides
over 90% protection against re-infection. One potential reason for this is that natural infection, and potentially
live-attenuated but not killed OCVs, generate antibody responses to in vivo expressed proteins which
contribute to long term protection. This is supported by our preliminary data which shows that despite induction
of comparable vibriocidal antibody responses following infection and vaccination, V. cholerae infection
generates responses to novel protein antigens, which are not likely to be induced by killed oral cholera
vaccines.
 In this proposal, we will test this by comparing the V. cholerae-antigen repertoire following infection and
vaccination using a V. cholerae-antigen microarray which our team has recently developed. We will then
determine whether responses to any antigens are associated with protection against cholera. Finally, we will
build on this knowledge to identify the function of protective antibodies to cholera. The results of these studies
will improve our understanding of host-pathogen interactions during cholera, result in better immunologic
correlates of vaccine protection, and impact strategies for improving vaccines for cholera and potentially other
mucosal infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241275
- **Project number:** 5R01AI137164-04
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Richelle C Charles
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $757,955
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-14 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241275

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241275, Antibody mediated protective immunity against cholera (5R01AI137164-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241275. Licensed CC0.

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