# ExPEC Vaccine Development

> **NIH NIH R56** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $400,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is precipitating a medical crisis that will cause
millions of deaths and cost trillions in dollars. A major bacterial driver of resistance is so-called
extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), a member of the human microbiome that has reached
pandemic status because of its deadly combination of resistance and virulence. ExPEC is now
the leading cause of resistance-related human mortality worldwide. There is no FDA-approved
vaccine, and efforts to identify novel targets for vaccine development have been hampered by the
pleiotropic nature of this bacterium’s pangenome. Using an exhaustive comparative genomics
approach of > 20,000 sequenced strains covering all sequence types, pathotypes, and
phylogenies, we uncovered two high-priority virulence factor targets that met multiple vaccine-
development criteria. Hypothesizing that immunological blockade of the function of these two
factors will provide a one-two punch that prevents critical steps in systemic infection and invasive
disease, we propose here pre-clinical studies aimed at testing the prophylactic efficacy of such
an approach. This includes a comprehensive evaluation of the vaccine’s performance to prevent
three distinct types of ExPEC infection, a thorough optimization of basic vaccine parameters,
innovation around novel adjuvants, and finally, the immunological mechanism of protection.
Successful completion of this project will yield knowledge as to whether targeting factors important
for invasive infection is an effective strategy to reduce or eliminate global ExPEC-induced
mortality and morbidity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11125016
- **Project number:** 1R56AI177630-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** ANTHONY W MARESSO
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $400,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11125016

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11125016, ExPEC Vaccine Development (1R56AI177630-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11125016. Licensed CC0.

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