Development of Maturation-defective Attenuated Chlamydia Vaccines

Inventor(s): Huizhou Fan

Awarded: August 2023

Summary:

Millions of American men and women are infected with Chlamydia each year. Without proper treatment, a substantial proportion of chlamydia-infected women may develop infertility and other health problems. Chlamydia is also the leading infectious cause of blindness in numerous developing countries as well as among Aboriginal populations in some developed countries. Furthermore, Chlamydia causes bronchitis and pneumonia and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and late-onset dementia. To date, no Chlamydia vaccine is available. Using a novel reverse genetic technology, we have developed chlamydiae that are defective in maturation. The one-of-a-kind mutant chlamydiae will serve as safe and effective vaccines. The maturation-defective whole chlamydia-based vaccine will have broad antigenicity and will induce mucosal immunity without causing chlamydial dissemination in vaccinated individuals and transmission to other individuals. Sexually transmitted Chlamydia vaccines will protect preadolescents, adolescents, and young adults from developing infertility, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and other complications from sexually transmitted chlamydial infection. Respiratory Chlamydia vaccines will protect people, particularly the young and the old, from chlamydial respiratory diseases and Chlamydia-associated cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Market Applications:

• Customers: Medical groups, hospitals, physicians (general pediatricians, family doctors, gynecologists), and pharmacies
• Estimated market size of sexually transmitted Chlamydia vaccine: comparable to that of GARDASIL ($3.8 billion in 2019; $12.7 billion by 2027; compound annual growth rate = 16.3%).
• To develop chemically-attenuated live viruses as vaccines for the prevention and treatment of DNA viral infections.