![Preventing Pneumonia]()
Pneumococcus is the main bacterial cause of pneumonia globally and in the United States, where it causes more than 50,000 deaths annually. The two licensed vaccines against pneumococcus infection are more effective against infections of the blood or cerebrospinal fluid than against pneumococcal pneumonia. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a five-year, $2 million grant to Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D., to develop monoclonal antibody therapy for pneumococcal pneumonia. The research will focus on serotype 3 pneumococcus, a strain associated with a higher risk of death than others. The Pirofski group will isolate and characterize individual antibodies from people who receive pneumococcal vaccine and select the most promising antibodies for pre-clinical studies to identify lead candidates for therapy. Dr. Pirofski is professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology, chief of infectious diseases at Einstein and Montefiore and holds the Selma and Dr. Jacques Mitrani Chair in Biomedical Research. (1R01AI123654-01A1)
Posted on: Monday, January 09, 2017