# Advancing a second generation C. difficile vaccine

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · 2024 · $1,315,168

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (Overall)
Our goal in the Oklahoma C. difficile U19 program is to transform a strong research base on enteric bacterial
pathogens into a nationally-recognized center of excellence for research on C. difficile. Our research goals,
commensurate with RFA-AI-022-001 are to provide basic knowledge that explains why vaccine-induced
immunity provides suboptimal protection against C. difficile, to understand the human memory B cell response
to the pathogen, and to advance the development and testing of second generation vaccine candidates. To
achieve these goals, three independent but complementary Research Projects have been devised which are
supported by an Administrative Core that includes bio-statistics support, and a Research Core to allow for
integrated and consistent C. difficile challenge experiments within and between the Research Projects. The
following Specific Aims will therefore be accomplished: Specific Aim 1: Establish a center of excellence for
research on C. difficile. Specific Aim 2: Test a second-generation vaccine candidate that shifts the balance
between the pathogen and host resulting in a more efficacious vaccine response and determine how C. difficile
toxin B subverts those responses (Project 1). Specific Aim 3: Determine the functional diversity of human TcdB-
specific memory B cell-derived antibody (Project 2). Specific Aim 4: Determine the impact of TcdA and TcdB on
the enteric nervous system-coordinated humoral response to vaccination and infection (Project 3). These efforts
will also be supported by NIH-funded programs at OUHSC that provide vital additional resources. By the end of
the first five year funding period we will advance the goal of understanding why vaccine responses to C. difficile
are sub-optimal, advance a second generation vaccine, and establish the means for a sustained research
program on C. difficile.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10892819
- **Project number:** 5U19AI174994-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark L Lang
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,315,168
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-25 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10892819

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10892819, Advancing a second generation C. difficile vaccine (5U19AI174994-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10892819. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*