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Mingtao
Zeng
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology Primary Academic Appointment: GEBS Cluster Affiliations: |
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| Contact Information: | ||
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 672 (MRB-X 2-11118 (Office), 2-11001B (Lab)) Rochester, New York 14642 |
Medical Center Phone: (585) 275-1003 Fax: (585) 473-9573 E-Mail: Mingtao_Zeng@URMC.Rochester.edu |
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- Research Focus
- Vaccine Development/Needle-Free Vaccines for Biodefense
- Research Overview
- Our research is focused on the development of new generation vaccines against agents important for biodefense such as Bacillus anthracis, botulinum neurotoxins, and Francisella tularensis. The research group is also developing new genetic vaccines against respiratory bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), and Moraxella cataharralis. We are collaborating with other investigators in identification of bacterial outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and toxin fragments as candidate antigens. The multi-component candidate vaccines are being formulated and delivered by noninvasive nasal, oral, or transcutaneous manners, using recombinant viruses and bacteria as vaccine delivery vehicles.
- We are developing vaccines against botulism and against anthrax, by using genetically detoxified fragments of the bacterial toxins as immunogens, to elicit protective immune responses. To do this, we are constructing and testing vaccines composed of multiple relevant antigens, which are expressed from the genome of a replication defective adenoviral vector, that can be delivered by a needle-free delivery system, by a mucosal (intranasal) or transcutaneous route of delivery.
- The noninvasive and easy administration procedure is expected to eliminate pain associated with needle injection, to reduce the requirement for specially trained personnel and equipment, and to permit rapid vaccine deployment in a short time frame. In addition, intranasal vaccine delivery may result in protection from aerosol-mediated delivery of anthrax spores, thereby preventing the potentially deadly effects of infection with this agent.
- Our experiments include the (1) development of multi-component recombinant adenovirus-vectored vaccines against anthrax and botulinum neurotoxins, and (2) careful comparative analyses of the immune responses that are elicited by these novel vaccine formulations, in comparison to current vaccines.
- Recent Publications
- Xu Q, Zeng M " Detoxified lethal toxin as a potential mucosal vaccine against anthrax." Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2008 Feb 6;
- Zeng M, Xu Q, Elias M, Pichichero ME, Simpson LL, Smith LA "Protective immunity against botulism provided by a single dose vaccination with an adenovirus-vectored vaccine." Vaccine. 2007 Sep 5;
- Xu Q, Hesek ED, Zeng M. "Transcriptional stimulation of anthrax toxin receptors by anthrax edema toxin and Bacillus anthracis Sterne spore." Microb Pathog. 2007 Jul;43(1):37-45;
- Zeng M, Xu Q, Pichichero ME. "Protection against anthrax by needle-free mucosal immunization with human anthrax vaccine." Vaccine. 2007 Jan 26;
- Zeng M, Xu Q, Hesek ED, Pichichero ME. "N-fragment of edema factor as a candidate antigen for immunization against anthrax." Vaccine 24(5):662-70, 2006. Epub 2005 Aug 26.
- Shi Z, Zeng M, Yang G, Siegel F, Cain LJ, van Kampen KR, Elmets CA, Tang DC. Protection against tetanus by needle-free inoculation of adenovirus-vectored nasal and epicutaneous vaccines. J Virol. 75:11474-82, 2001.
- Zeng M, Smith SK, Siegel F, Shi Z, Van Kampen KR, Elmets CA, Tang DC. AdEasy system made easier by selecting the viral backbone plasmid preceding homologous recombination. Biotechniques 31:260-2, 2001.
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