报告题目：Understanding bacterial pathogens to develop new vaccines
报告人：Darryl Hill 布里斯托大学微生物学高级讲师
时 间：2019年4月10日 14:00
地 点：基础医学院四楼会议室
报告人介绍：
达瑞尔·希尔博士是布里斯托大学微生物学高级讲师。呼吸道细菌感染能够导致局部或播散性疾病，这在全球是一个相当大的卫生和财政负担。他的研究重点是了解微生物定殖和疾病发展过程中细菌（主要是呼吸道中的细菌）和人类宿主之间的相互作用。通过了解细菌与人类细胞和组织相互作用的关键机制，以发现新的治疗靶标。
达瑞尔·希尔博士的研究领域是定殖于人鼻咽和口咽的粘膜病原体靶定受体的分子机制：主要研究重点是脑膜炎奈瑟菌、卡他莫拉菌和流感嗜血杆菌。他的研究领域还涉及脑膜炎奈瑟菌与血清组分的相互作用、奈瑟氏球菌感染时上皮细胞反应、细菌粘附于人呼吸道上皮细胞时的相互作用、粘膜炎莫拉氏菌表面蛋白的结构和功能分析、骨髓炎中的细菌与干细胞相互作用。
报告摘要：
Pathogenic Neisseria are human restricted bacteria that cause a range of pathologies. Such bacteria have evolved to avoid or suppress our immune responses in order to persist. For example, Neisseria meningitidis, a cause of meningitis and sepsis, expresses several proteins which bind to regulators of the human immune system and subvert a variety of immune functions the human immune system and subvert a variety of immune functions. Two such proteins are the outer membrane opacity protein, Opc, and the Meningococcal surface fibril, Msf. Both play roles in the adherence and invasion of host epithelial cells as well as evasion of complement-mediated killing. The only other pathogen in the genus. N gonorrhoeae also avoids the immune response though binding to regulators of complement. Whilst primarily associated with mucosal infections, N. gonorrhoeae can also disseminate from mucosal surfaces to infect the joints, and cause sepsis and meningitis.
N.meningitidis has seen great progress in the development of vaccines to prevent infection using the polysaccharide capsule which coat these bacteria. Unlike N. meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae lacks the expression of a polysaccharide capsule. Thus, N. gonorrhoeae presents a similar challenge to meningococcal strains for which the capsule is unsuitable for use as a vaccine. The development of a universal vaccines for these bacteria is further hindered by their hypervariable nature. However, lessons may be learned from the development and introduction of the Men B vaccine into the UK childhood vaccine schedule and associated studies. Important considerations for the development and implementation of any future meningococcal or gonococcal vaccine will be aided by understanding the biology of these pathogens and how they are able to survive in our bodies .
