A new vaccine approach to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections
Official title: A novel vaccination strategy to curb recUTIs
Funded at Duke University · NIH-10763881 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new way to help women who often get urinary tract infections by using a special vaccine delivered right into the bladder to boost their immune system and hopefully prevent future infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | January 12, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $201,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R21AI170985-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10763881 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are women who have a history of recurrent urinary tract infections.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have never experienced a urinary tract infection or those with other underlying health conditions that complicate UTI treatment may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates a novel vaccination strategy aimed at preventing recurrent urinary tract infections (recUTIs), which are particularly common in women. The approach involves delivering a specific vaccine antigen directly into the bladder, combined with an adjuvant that helps stimulate the immune response. By recruiting immune cells that can effectively clear bacteria from the bladder, this strategy aims to reduce the frequency of UTIs in patients who have experienced multiple infections. The research is currently focused on optimizing this delivery method and identifying effective immune response markers before moving to clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to an effective vaccine that significantly reduces the occurrence of recurrent urinary tract infections in patients.
How similar studies have gone: While many UTI vaccines have been tested, this specific approach of using a bladder-targeted vaccine with immune cell recruitment is novel and has not yet been widely implemented in clinical settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abraham, Soman N — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Abraham, Soman N
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.