Vaccines and immune therapies made from friendly gut bacteria
Building the foundations of commensal vaccines
It uses friendly gut bacteria to trigger or calm the immune system for people with infections, cancer, or autoimmune diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175362 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying bacterial strains from the microbiome that naturally provoke strong, specific, and lasting immune responses. They plan to engineer these commensal bacteria to deliver antigens or immune signals so vaccines or immune-suppressing therapies could be given without needles or cold storage. The work combines laboratory experiments and animal studies to test safety, targeting, and durability of the responses. If results are promising, the approach could move toward clinical testing in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with autoimmune diseases, certain cancers, or those needing better vaccines would be the most likely candidates for future trials.
Not a fit: People with health issues unrelated to the immune system or those who cannot receive live bacterial-based treatments may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could produce needle-free, stable vaccines and more targeted immune therapies that work where current treatments fail and cause fewer side effects.
How similar studies have performed: Early laboratory and animal research shows the microbiome can shape immunity, but engineered commensal vaccines are largely experimental and unproven in humans.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fischbach, Michael Andrew — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Fischbach, Michael Andrew
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 below.