© 2024 KLCC

KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org

Contact Us

FCC Applications
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

OSU Research Promising As Basis For Gonorrhea Vaccine

NIAID
/
Flickr.com

Cases of gonorrhea have more than tripled in Oregon since 2007, according to the Oregon Health Authority. But as KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, Oregon State University researchers may be nearing the development of a vaccine.

 

Gonorrhea can cause infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and even blindness in babies born to infected mothers.

And the pathogen behind this sexually-transmitted disease is highly resistant to all classes of antibiotics, earning it the dubious title of “superbug”.

But OSU College of Pharmacy researcher Aleksandra Sikora and her team have identified a pair of proteins she says play critical functions in the cell membrane, making them excellent candidates for inclusion in a vaccine. She hopes their work will inspire efforts worldwide.

“It is very critical that now a serious, international, multidisciplinary commitment should be made that would involve coordination, cooperation, and financial investment to make gonorrhea vaccine a reality.”

The National Institutes of Health is supporting OSU’s research. The findings are in the latest Journal of Bacteriology.

Copyright 2017, KLCC. 

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
Related Content