Researcher is on a Quest for a Chlamydia Vaccine

Chlamydia is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. Its symptoms often are mild or absent, but it can cause serious complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Medicine professor Richard P. Morrison, PhD, has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for research on a chlamydia vaccine.

In previous studies, Morrisons has shown that anti-chlamydia antibodies offer excellent protection during genital tract re-infection. In this study, Morrision is further defining and characterizing chlamydia protective antibody-mediated response.

"Sustained control of chlamydial urogenital infections will be achieved only by the development of an efficacious vaccine," Morrison said. "These studies will provide important insight toward achieving that goal."

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham