Pneumonia

David A. Spiegel of Yale University in the U.S. will pursue an antibiotic strategy called "biosynthetic immunotargeting." Streptococcus pneumoniae will be fed small molecules which they will incorporate into their cell walls. These small molecules contain an epitope recognized by antibodies in the human bloodstream, leading to immune clearance independent of bacterial antigens, representing a unique, resistance-free approach to pneumococcal disease.

Andriy Kovalenko, Nikolay Blinov and David Wishart of the University of Alberta in Canada propose to use synthetic biology to develop protein-based metabolite biosensors. These biosensors will be used to create a simple, low-cost diagnostic test for pneumonia that is based on specific metabolite signatures found in urine.

Because human carriage of pneumococcus usually results in improved immunity to future infections without any development of disease, Stephen Gordon of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom will use an intranasal inoculation with a safe strain of the bacteria to study the mechanisms of mucosal immunity in the lungs and to explore the potential for a vaccine based on his findings.

Kate Edwards of University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia will test the theory that brief bouts of exercise consisting of cycling and weight lifting will increase antibody and cell-mediated responses to a pneumococcal vaccination administered immediately after the physical activity.

Yingjie Lu and Richard Malley of Children's Hospital Boston in the U.S. will develop a bivalent pneumococcal and typhoid vaccine by using a new technology to include three highly conserved pneumococcal antigens and the well-established Vi polysaccharide antigen that provides protection against typhoid fever. The team will test the ability of this vaccine to induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses against both pneumococcus and the causative agent of typhoid fever, Salmonella Typhi.

Vijay Pancholi of The Ohio State University Research Foundation in the U.S. will attempt to attenuate the S. pneumonia bacteria by altering export of the GAPDH enzyme, a function thought to be essential to the bacteria's survival. Preventing export of this key enzyme will decrease bacterial virulence, allowing the attenuated strain to be used for development an affordable live vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia.

Lara Brewer of University of Utah Health Sciences Center in the U.S. will upgrade oxygen concentrators in low-resource settings by adding manual powering, oxygen storage, and a conservation function, and allowing for the simultaneous delivery to multiple children. Oxygen is required to treat children with pneumonia, but current concentrators rely on a continuous power supply and can only support one child at a time. They will incorporate a pedal-powered compressor and low-pressure storage tank to maintain supply during power outages.

Catherine Tuleu of University College London in the United Kingdom will develop a rectal formulation of the antibiotic amoxicillin tailored specifically for children with pneumonia particularly in developing countries that can be stored long-term in hot climates. Suppositories are easy to administer, and avoid the bad taste of the antibiotic or the need to swallow a tablet, which is often difficult for children. They have already characterized several suppository bases and will test different excipients to provide stability at high temperatures.

Roger Rassool of the University of Melbourne in Australia will build a device that stably stores oxygen ready for treating children with pneumonia particularly in low- resource settings with unreliable electricity supplies. They will develop a safe, low-pressure oxygen storage device comprising two coupled storage chambers and utilizing water to provide pressure for delivery. The volumes and pressure required will be tested, and the device will be fillable from existing oxygen concentrators. Once built, the device will be tested by training staff and assessed for usability in the field.

Pavan Dadlani of Philips Research in The Netherlands will create a single device that can support a better diagnosis of pneumonia in children under five years old in low-resource settings. They will complement their Children's Automated Respiratory Monitor to enable the measurement of oxygen saturation (pulse oximetry) with a single probe to accommodate all ages between 0 and 5 years old, which will lower costs. The device will also be able to transmit data via Bluetooth for recording and expert analysis, and will be designed for robustness.