The University of Technology Sydney (UTS), in collaboration with partners including Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, and UNSW, is leading a research project to develop an mRNA vaccine for urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The project has received a grant from the Federal Government's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The $1.8 million grant is one of several MRFF Global Health grants, which are awarded for projects that aim to improve the understanding of healthcare associated infections that drive antibiotic resistance and develop interventions to reduce infections.
UTIs represent a pervasive and significant health challenge globally and have a staggering impact on public health and healthcare costs worldwide, with more than one in two women and one in twenty men likely to have a UTI in their lifetime. Approximately 250,000 Australians develop a UTI each year, and around 150 million people globally are affected.
Antibiotic resistance is when disease-causing bacteria are able to resist the effects of antibiotics that are designed to kill them. This is particularly problematic within strains of Escherichia coli, and effectively managing these infections has become much more difficult, necessitating longer courses of treatment and use of more last-resort medications. This is why innovative approaches to treatment and prevention are needed.
Associate Professor Iain Duggin, Deputy Director of the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection at UTS and lead investigator on the project says UTIs are one of the most common bacterial infections resulting in hospital infections and admissions.
"Recurrent infection of the lower urinary tract (mainly bladder) is very painful and debilitating for sufferers, and it greatly increases the risk of dangerous kidney and bloodstream infections, which can be fatal or lead to chronic kidney or urinary tract diseases," said Associate Professor Duggin.
E. coli-related death due to antibiotic resistance is the leading cause of bacterial fatalities worldwide.
UTIs are very common, with more than one in two women and one in twenty men likely to have a UTI in their lifetime.
Professor Branwen Morgan, Lead of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission at CSIRO, said as the rates of antimicrobial resistance continue to rise, UTIs are becoming harder to treat and often reoccur.
"This is a new approach to bacterial vaccine development that we believe will save time and money by creating a streamlined and efficient workflow," said Professor Morgan.
mRNA technology was selected due to its potential advantages in eliciting immune responses against bacteria that have demonstrated resilience to conventional vaccine strategies.
"Vaccines for drug-resistant pathogens are one of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Mission's priorities – not just in humans but in animals too.
"Many of the considerations for the design and manufacture of human and animal vaccines are the same.
"More broadly, we have an aim to accelerate the development and implementation of AMR solutions as well as grow public and private investment into this research space because time is running out and the R&D pipeline for new antibiotics will not keep pace with clinical need," said Professor Morgan.
Professor Garry Myers, Director of the Australian Institute for Microbiology & Infection at UTS and co-lead on the project said the collaborative nature of the project, which spans research, manufacturing, and clinical trials, reflects a concerted effort to rapidly advance UTI interventions.
"Together we have the expertise and capabilities to see the whole project workflow through to completion, from design, to vaccine formulation and testing of immunological responses and their effectiveness at preventing recurrent UTIs (rUTIs)."
It is hoped the project will lead to clinical trials in the next three years with people who suffer very frequent UTIs, including patients who use catheters for extended time periods such as those with a loss of bladder control through spinal cord injuries.
"These patients are frequently in hospital with a UTI and are increasingly difficult to treat successfully with antibiotics," said Professor Duggin.
"We hope a highly effective vaccine may eventually lead to prevention of recurrent UTIs in the broader community too."
While acknowledging the presence of other UTI vaccines in development globally, Associate Professor Duggin and Professor Morgan underscored the importance of diverse approaches in addressing the multifaceted nature of UTIs and the evolving landscape of antibiotic resistance.
"Prevention really is better than a cure," said Professor Morgan.
"A successful vaccine will help eliminate the pain and suffering experienced by those affected as well as the cost of managing these infections."
The MRFF 2023 Global Health Grant project: Development of an mRNA vaccine for recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Medical Research Future Fund. It will include contributions from the following partners: UTS, CSIRO, UNSW RNA institute, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Biointelect, NSW Health through the Office for Health and Medical Research, and Starpharma.
Originally published by University of Technology Sydney.
