MRF funds new research into a vaccine for Meningitis B

New research funded by Meningitis Research Foundation seeks to use novel technology to develop an effective vaccine for the meningococcal B strain of meningitis. Meningococcal B (MenB) is responsible for the majority of cases in the Ireland and is not currently vaccine preventable. 

MenB vaccines on the horizon are expected to reduce meningococcal B disease, but are unlikely to provide universal protection.  For this reason, MenB vaccine research continues to be a top priority for the Foundation.

To date, the development of a vaccine against the meningococcal B strain has proved very difficult and continues to remain elusive due to the complex and variable nature of these bacteria. All successful meningitis vaccines so far have been based on the ‘sugar’ coat of the bacteria. The sugar coat of the Group B meningococcal bacteria is quite different to other strains, as it does not produce an immune response, so the same approaches cannot be applied to developing a B vaccine in a straightforward way. The majority of the research into a meningitis B vaccine has been based on molecules found on the surface of the bacteria, but this strategy has not worked very well in infants and young children (who are the highest risk group). This new research project takes a different approach by using a de-toxified version of molecules in the outer wall of the bacteria (in this case, a fat molecule linked a sugar which is among the ingredients that makes the bacteria’s toxin). The aim is to develop a vaccine that will be both safe and effective at preventing the disease, especially in infants and young children.

Meningitis Research Foundation Chief Executive Christopher Head commented: “Tackling meningitis B remains a key focus for the Foundation and we hope this research will lead to some important results moving us one step closer to a world free from meningitis and septicaemia.”

There are around 300 cases of meningitis and septicaemia – the blood poisoning form of the disease, every year in Ireland. This means a death still occurs. Each month the disease will take approximately two lives and a further thirty people are left with after effects that can be as severe as brain damage, hearing loss and amputations.

The lead scientist conducting the research is Dr Garth Dixon at the Institute of Child Health, to read more at http://www.meningitis.org/current-projects/development-of-a-novel-29932.