# Planning the utilization of human challenge with Neisseria gonorrhoeae for vaccine testing

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $233,250

## Abstract

Abstract:
Antibiotic resistance in the sexually transmitted pathogen, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has been
recognized as a serious emerging public health threat by WHO and the US CDC. An effective
vaccine against N. gonorrhoeae would serve as an important tool in the battle against antibiotic
resistant N. gonorrhoeae. However, N. gonorrhoeae vaccine development has been hampered
by the fact that individuals infected with N. gonorrhoeae do not develop immunity to subsequent
infection. As a result, immune responses required for protection from infection have never been
determined for N. gonorrhoeae. A mass vaccination campaign in New Zealand with a new
vaccine against N. meningitidis serogroup B was followed by a reduced rate of N. gonorrhoeae
infections in vaccinated individuals. The vaccine used in New Zealand contained outer
membrane vesicles from N. meningitidis that are a component of a US FDA-approved N.
meningitidis serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB) and contain many antigens that are highly related
to N. gonorrhoeae antigens. Our research team currently uses a unique human experimental
infection model to study N. gonorrhoeae in its natural host. This time, when use of the new
meningococcal vaccine is not yet widespread within the US, provides a unique and time-
sensitive opportunity to test the effectiveness of this vaccine in preventing N. gonorrhoeae using
our human challenge model. Furthermore, the proposed clinical trial will allow us to study
immune responses to the 4CMenB vaccine and determine which responses are essential to the
protective effect of the vaccine. The current proposal requests support for the planning and
development of the proposed clinical trial, representing an important step in the development of
an effective N. gonorrhoeae vaccine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9850391
- **Project number:** 1R34AI148072-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** JOSEPH A DUNCAN
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $233,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-05 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9850391

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9850391, Planning the utilization of human challenge with Neisseria gonorrhoeae for vaccine testing (1R34AI148072-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9850391. Licensed CC0.

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