The Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) will participate in a partnership with industry to develop a vaccine to prevent a group of deadly bacterial infections that occur commonly among hospital patients.
At CVD, the work will be led by Alan S. Cross, MD, professor of medicine, Raphael Simon, PhD, and Sharon Tennant, PhD, both assistant professors of medicine. The trio, experts in vaccine development, will focus on a vaccine for several types of Gram-negative bacteria that can cause damage and death when they infect humans.
This class of infections, known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), afflict nearly 2 million patients a year. HAIs are infections that patients get while receiving treatment. They are among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States and are associated with a substantial increase in health care costs annually. HAIs cost nearly $10 billion annually in the U.S. alone, and infect up to four percent of patients. There has been a dramatic increase in resistance to antibiotics used to treat these infections which may leave clinicians with few therapeutic options. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine available for any of the major HAIs.
“This is a response to a serious unmet need. We think this partnership has enormous potential,” says Cross. “We think we can make a significant dent in the effect these infections have in the U.S., and around the world.”
The research partnership will include ClearPath Development Company, a biotech company in Rockville, Md., Astellas Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo, and Affinivax Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. The collaboration will use Affinivax’s proprietary vaccine platform, Multiple Antigen Presentation System (MAPS), to develop vaccines that prevent certain HAIs.
“This is an important area of unmet medical need,” says George Siber, MD, Clearpath’s chief science officer. “We are excited to launch this research program.”
Richard Malley, MD, who will lead the Affinivax team, is an expert in infectious diseases, vaccine development, and a co-inventor of the MAPS technology, which represents a highly innovative approach for creating novel vaccine formulations that may provide broad protection against the most challenging pathogens.
“Healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance are serious global health hazards,” says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “It’s fantastic to see this kind of nimble public-private partnership taking on this problem. I know that Drs. Cross, Simon and Tennantwill develop important solutions.”
Source: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Product Locator: Spring and Early Mother's Day Gift Guide for Infection Prevention Personnel
March 27th 2024Whether it's a spring holiday, birthdays, or no reason at all, infection prevention personnel love to give and receive gifts that help at the end of a stressful day. Infection Control Today® offers some gift ideas for infection prevention personnel and their families.
Catching Up With Vangie Dennis, AORN 2022-2023 President at AORN 2024
March 26th 2024Infection Control Today (ICT) had the privilege of catching up with Vangie Dennis, MSN, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses' (AORN’s) International Surgical Conference & Expo 2024. As the former president of AORN and an esteemed figure in perioperative services, Vangie Dennis shared insights into her recent endeavors and the exciting new chapter she's embarked upon.
How To Optimize Your Time Management Strategies for the Busy Infection Preventionist
March 25th 2024Is your calendar resembling a chaotic masterpiece of overlapping tasks? Join the club of infection preventionists striving to balance responsibilities. Dive into proven strategies from a fellow infection preventionist to reclaim control of your time, streamline tasks, and boost productivity effectively. This is an IP Lifeline article.
CenTrak Unveils Revolutionary BLE Multi-Mode Platform for Health Care RTLS Solutions
March 22nd 2024CenTrak, the industry leader in real-time location technology, introduces the groundbreaking BLE Multi-Mode Platform, setting a new standard for Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) in health care. Discover how this innovative solution enhances location data precision and streamlines operations for health care organizations.