# Targeting Pneumococcal Transmission

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $664,730

## Abstract

Description- Targeting Pneumococcal Transmission
The long-term goal of this project is a more comprehensive prevention of disease caused by
Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn, the pneumococcus). Our approach to the ongoing problem of the
pneumococcus is based on the lessons from 19 years of widespread childhood immunization, which
point to the critical need to interrupt host-to-host transmission if the incidence of Spn disease is to be
reduced further. This key step in the Spn lifecycle, however, has not been the focus of previous
investigation or vaccine discovery. This is because bacterial factors contributing to Spn contagion are
poorly understood due to the complexities of studying natural transmission and a lack of tractable animal
models. Our overall premise is that specific Spn genes contribute to its transmission and that their gene
products are potential novel targets for prevention. We recently developed an infant mouse model of
intra-litter spread that allows for the detailed study of the biology of Spn transmission. This model was
used to establish the role of the toxin, pneumolysin, in mucosal inflammation that increases secretions
that promote Spn shedding and facilitate its transmission. More recently, this model has been used to
screen a genomic library of Tn-seq mutants to identify the complete set of `transmission' genes from a
single isolate. Many of the `hits' encode enzymes that could function in binding to and degrading mucin
glycoproteins. These products to be characterized in Aim#1 could allow Spn to exit the colonized host
using mucus flow, then release itself from mucus entrapment to establish in a new host. Aim#2 will take
a separate approach by identifying Spn genes affecting natural transmission among strains circulating
within a community. This will be carried out with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 3085
publicly-available whole genome sequences obtained from monthly nasal swabs of ~600 infants (Maela
cohort). Candidate genetic elements will then be tested/confirmed in the infant mouse model of
transmission. Our preliminary data using the infant mouse model recapitulates the experience from
pneumococcal immunization in that humoral immunity to Spn blocks transmission. The focus of Aim#3
is early-stage vaccine testing. We will use the infant mouse model to determine the potential for
conserved surface factors, including those identified in the Tn-seq and GWAS screens, to induce
immunity that interrupts host-to-host spread without the requirement for within-host protection. At the
conclusion of the project, we will understand how Spn promotes its transmission and whether
transmission can be targeted to mitigate the continued high burden of pneumococcal disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9941365
- **Project number:** 1R01AI150893-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey Neal Weiser
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $664,730
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9941365

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9941365, Targeting Pneumococcal Transmission (1R01AI150893-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9941365. Licensed CC0.

---

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