Multivalent mRNA-LNP Vaccine May Protect People Against C difficile Infection

A stay in a hospital might resolve one health challenge. Still, it may introduce another: an intractable infection with Clostridioides difficile (C difficile), wrote an Editors Summary published in the journal Science in October 2024.

This bacteria can thrive and produce toxins if antibiotics hinder the normal gut bacteria.

Alameh et al. disclosed they have been developing a multivalent mRNA–lipid nanoparticle vaccine to protect vulnerable individuals against toxigenic C. difficile. The University of Pennsylvania researchers designed the vaccine candidate to target an enzyme found in diverse strains of this bacterium that processes several surface factors required for gut colonization and virulence.

They concluded, 'Our studies demonstrate mRNA-LNP vaccine technology as a promising platform for developing novel C. difficile therapeutics with potential for limiting acute disease and promoting bacterial decolonization.'