Trinity scientists working to develop MRSA vaccine

IRISH scientists are developing a vaccine against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Trinity College Dublin Prof Tim Foster and his group have been working on the mechanisms of the hospital-acquired superbug since the early 1990s with funding from the Health Research Board (HRB) and Wellcome trust.

In 1994 they isolated a surface protein from the bacterium called clumping factor A (ClfA) that binds to a blood protein called fibrinogen, a key step of the infection process.

ClfA has the potential to form the basis of a vaccine and in the project, PhD student Joan Geoghegan made an important discovery on how ClfA binds to fibrinogen, pinpointing where they lock onto each other.

The team has also been working on an antibody that binds to ClfA.

Prof Foster said the antibody had the potential as a treatment for MRSA infection.

“It blocks fibrinogen binding, which essentially doesn’t allow the bacteria entry into the body,” he explained. It could also be used as a preventative measure – during emergency surgery for instance, when the patient is particularly vulnerable to infection,” he pointed out.

Prof Foster and his team, whose work is highlighted in the HRB’s report a Picture of Health 2009, have also been looking at how the immune system responds to ClfA, with a view to developing a vaccine.

They have identified some variants of ClfA that appear to provide a stronger immune response and could be potential candidates for an MRSA vaccine.

Prof Foster and his team have been in contact with firms who might want to take their discovery to commercial development.

They have just received a new HRB grant for vaccine development and are also supported by Science Foundation Ireland.