Multivalent vaccine to prevent C. difficile infection and recurrence
Official title: Multivalent vaccines against Clostridioides difficile infection
Funded at University of South Florida · NIH-11258986 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing a vaccine that teaches the immune system to neutralize C. difficile toxins and block the bacteria from coming back for people at risk of infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project start | June 20, 2017 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $443,045 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI132711-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11258986 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People most likely to qualify would be those at high risk for C. difficile, such as older adults, hospitalized patients, people who recently took antibiotics, or those with a prior C. difficile infection.
✕Less likely to help
People with an active severe C. difficile infection may not get immediate benefit from a preventive vaccine, and individuals with severely weakened immune systems might not respond well to vaccination.
What this research studies
The team is building a multivalent vaccine that targets the three C. difficile toxins (TcdA, TcdB, and binary toxin CDT) and components that reduce bacterial colonization. They are combining toxin fragments and flagellin-based parts into formulations intended for injection and for mucosal delivery. Vaccine candidates are tested in animal models to measure antibody responses, decreases in spores and toxins in stool, and protection from disease. Promising candidates would then be advanced toward human testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the vaccine could prevent initial C. difficile infections and lower the high rates of dangerous recurrence by neutralizing toxins and reducing transmission.
How similar studies have gone: Related vaccine approaches have shown protection in animal models, but there is not yet a licensed human vaccine for C. difficile and human efficacy remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Florida
Tampa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sun, Xingmin — University of South Florida
- Study coordinator: Sun, Xingmin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how the immune system fights C. difficile to prevent recurrence
A new NIH grant is studying how the body’s own immune response to C. difficile infection might be boosted to prevent future outbreaks.
-
Impact of gut bile acids on C. difficile infection in inflammatory bowel disease
This grant tests whether changes in gut microbes and their bile acids influence how likely people with inflammatory bowel disease are to get and how severe a C. difficile infection could be.
-
Role of gut bacteria in shaping C. difficile infection
Aims to map how the gut microbiome and its metabolic environment influence Clostridioides difficile infection in people and how we might prevent or treat it.
-
Detailed genetic look at C. difficile and the gut microbiome in infection and relapse
Researchers will sequence C. difficile and gut bacteria from thousands of patient stool samples to find genetic and microbial patterns linked to severe or recurring infections.
-
Gut-targeted antibiotics for C. difficile infection
Developing gut-targeted antibiotics to kill C. difficile while keeping healthy gut bacteria for people with recurrent C. difficile infections.
-
Technology-Driven Root-Cause Analysis and Clinical Enhancement for C. difficile Infections
A new digital platform uses hospital data to streamline how hospitals analyze and prevent hospital-acquired C. diff infections.
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.