Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2025
A High-throughput Shigella-specific Bactericidal Assay
Published on: February 27, 2019
Towards a Four-Component GMMA-Based Vaccine against Shigella
Francesca Micoli1, Usman N Nakakana1, Francesco Berlanda Scorza1
1GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH) S.r.l., 53100 Siena, Italy.
Insights
Shigellosis, a major cause of diarrhea, lacks effective vaccines. This study explores a novel, low-cost four-component vaccine using Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) technology to target prevalent Shigella serotypes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Shigellosis is a leading cause of diarrheal disease globally, especially in children, with rising antimicrobial resistance concerns.
- Current vaccine development for Shigella is limited, despite natural immunity being linked to O-antigen specific antibody responses.
- Existing Shigella vaccine candidates primarily focus on O-antigen based strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-cost, multi-component Shigella vaccine candidate.
- To elicit broad protection against prevalent Shigella serotypes.
- To utilize Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) technology for vaccine delivery.
Main Methods:
- Development of a four-component vaccine formulation.
- Utilizing GMMA technology for O-antigen presentation.
- Evaluating immune responses against prevalent Shigella serotypes.
Main Results:
- A potential low-cost, four-component Shigella vaccine was developed.
- The vaccine leverages GMMA technology for effective O-antigen delivery.
- The vaccine aims to provide broad protection against common Shigella serotypes.
Conclusions:
- GMMA technology offers a promising platform for developing broad-spectrum Shigella vaccines.
- The developed vaccine candidate has the potential to address a significant public health challenge.
- Further development is needed to combat Shigellosis and antimicrobial resistance.
Abstract:
Shigellosis remains a major public health problem around the world; it is one of the leading causes of diarrhoeal disease in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in young children. The increasing reports of Shigella cases associated with anti-microbial resistance are an additional element of concern. Currently, there are no licensed vaccines widely available against Shigella, but several vaccine candidates are in development. It has been demonstrated that the incidence of disease decreases following a prior Shigella infection and that serum and mucosal antibody responses are predominantly directed against the serotype-specific Shigella O-antigen portion of lipopolysaccharide membrane molecules. Many Shigella vaccine candidates are indeed O-antigen-based. Here we present the journey towards the development of a potential low-cost four-component Shigella vaccine, eliciting broad protection against the most prevalent Shigella serotypes, that makes use of the GMMA (Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens) technology, a novel platform based on bacterial outer membranes for delivery of the O-antigen to the immune system.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...