# Development of a Staph Aureus Vaccine

> **NIH NIH R43** · BIOLOGICAL MIMETICS, INC. · 2024 · $296,442

## Abstract

Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is often considered the prototype hospital-acquired infection. In spite
of the billions of dollars spent on preventive measures, estimates of the incidence are in the hundreds of
thousands, with tens of thousands of people per year succumbing to disease in the USA alone. Prophylactic
vaccines against S. aureus would have an enormous impact in the healthcare fight against antibiotic-resistant
strains. In our previous studies, we used a novel method to generate next-generation whole-cell Staphylococcus
vaccine candidates that resulted in high levels of clearance in a stringent biofilm model of infection. The method
utilizes a manganese-decapeptide-phosphate (MDP) complex that has been adapted from the radiation-resistant
bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans. We propose to further develop this approach by directly comparing several
of the identified vaccine candidates and next-generation modified versions in expanded studies. Candidates will
be tested for stimulating protective immunity in biofilm pin implantation and abscess mouse models. Down-
selected “best” candidates will also be tested in a S. aureus preexposure model as different immunogens (protein
sets) circumvent deceptive immune imprinting. These experiments should allow us to categorically report which
candidate proves the most efficacious in relevant animal models, and position a candidate ready for cross-
protection, dosing, and toxicity studies to follow.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10932152
- **Project number:** 5R43AI174497-02
- **Recipient organization:** BIOLOGICAL MIMETICS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Jeffrey Dollery
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $296,442
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-20 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10932152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10932152, Development of a Staph Aureus Vaccine (5R43AI174497-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10932152. Licensed CC0.

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