Baltimore-based University of Maryland School of Medicine received $2.47 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine against Shigella and Enterotoxigenic E. Coli, which is a leading cause of diarrheal disease in young children in developing countries.
The three-year grant was awarded to university principal investigators Eileen M. Barry, PhD, professor of medicine, and Wilbur H Chen, MD, associate professor of medicine. The researchers already tested a prototype of the vaccine in animals. The grant was awarded to develop this into an efficacious human vaccine.
"Nearly half a million children die each year of diarrheal diseases, and Shigella and ETEC infections are a common cause," Dr. Barry said. "This grant will help us translate our research into a vaccine ready for human trials."