Each year, infectious diseases kill 17 million people, including 9 million children. The overall morbidity caused by these organisms and other pathogens that interact with mucosal surfaces is impossible to calculate. Traditional vaccine strategies that involve parenteral immunization with inactivated viruses or bacteria or subunits of relevant virulence determinants of those pathogens do not prevent those interactions. In fact, traditional vaccine strategies do not prevent infection but instead resolve infection before disease ensues. In addition, the cost of administering vaccines by traditional vaccine strategies makes most current vaccines too expensive for use in developing countries. Dr. Clements' Vaccine Research Laboratory is developing powerful new techniques for vaccination against bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases. These techniques include the use of harmless bacteria as vaccine delivery vehicles for proteins from harmful bacteria and viruses, the use of novel adjuvants (substances that enhance the immune response to foreign antigens), and the use of edible vaccines. These strategies are based upon the principle that vaccines must be both effective and affordable to be practical.

Lu, X., J. D. Clements, and J. M. Katz. 2002. Mutant Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin [LT(R192G)] enhances protective humoral and cellular immune responses to orally administered inactivated influenza vaccine. Vaccine 20:1019-29. Abstract

Lemere, C. A., E. T. Spooner, J. F. Leverone, C. Mori, and J. D. Clements. 2002. Intranasal immunotherapy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: Escherichia coli LT and LT(R192G) as mucosal adjuvants. Neurobiol Aging 23:991-1000. Abstract

Leavell, S., B. Wright, L. Scappino, J. Sirriyah, C. Chen, J. D. Clements, and M. J. Burkhard. 2005. Induction of serum and mucosal FIV-specific immune responses by intranasal immunization with p24Gag. Vaccine. 23:1471-1478. Abstract

Glynn A., L. C. Freytag, J. D. Clements. 2005. Effect of homologous and heterologous prime-boost on the immune response to recombinant plague antigens. Vaccine 23:1957-1965. Abstract

Glynn, A., C. J. Roy, B. S. Powell, J. J. Adamovicz, L. C. Freytag, and J. D. Clements. 2005. Protection against aerosolized Yersinia pestis challenge following homologous and heterologous prime-boost with recombinant plague antigens. Infection and Immunity In Press. Abstract

John D. Clements, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Tulane University Health Sciences Center
1430 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112-2699

Telephone:   (504) 988-5070
Fax:  (504) 988-7769

 jclemen@tulane.edu 

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