# Gonococcal Vaccine Evaluation in a Humanized Mouse Model

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $709,735

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Efforts to develop a gonococcal vaccine have continued for over three decades without notable progress.
While the significant sequelae of infection in females and solid evidence that concurrent gonococcal (GC)
infection can enhance HIV transmission have spurred these investigations, this goal has become more urgent
given the recent increase in GC antibiotic resistance, especially to ceftriaxone. Two major issues associated
with this absence of success have been 1) the lack of an animal model that appreciates the human specificity
of gonococcal adhesins and other virulence factors, and 2) the lack of correlates of immunity that can inform
vaccine design. The overall objective of this proposal is to evaluate potential gonococcal vaccine candidates in
a recently developed GC both transcervical induced upper genital tract (UGT) and intravaginal induced lower
genital tract (LGT) infection models utilizing humanized transgenic mice expressing CEACAM 1 or CEACAM5
respectively. The aims of this grant are to 1) Evaluate the ability of high priority gonococcal vaccine candidates
(porin, OMV and LOS derived mimotopes) to protect humanized TG mice from LGT or UGT GC infection, 2)
Determine which immune defects may allow for enhanced infection in WT mice (to aid in discerning potential
correlates of immunity) and 3) Examine pattern of in vivo expressed GC genes by RNAseq transcriptomics and
Compare to similar data from humans. If the aims are fulfilled, a new model for gonococcal vaccine evaluation
will be established and validated by comparison to human infection, correlates of gonococcal immunity will be
discerned, and the relative utility of gonococcal vaccine candidates will be determined in order to prioritize and
guide their future development towards their ultimate use in humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9971429
- **Project number:** 5R01AI103400-08
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** LEE Mark WETZLER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $709,735
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-17 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9971429

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9971429, Gonococcal Vaccine Evaluation in a Humanized Mouse Model (5R01AI103400-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9971429. Licensed CC0.

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