A novel GMMA-based gonococcal vaccine demonstrates functional immune responses in mice
Gonorrhea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) represents a significant public health threat that may be mitigated by an effective vaccine. Vaccines containing N. meningitidis outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), such as 4CMenB, demonstrated moderate effectiveness in preventing GC infections. Here, we developed NgG, an investigational GC vaccine based on Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA). NgG includes genetically detoxified OMVs from the FA1090 strain, engineered to reduce endotoxin activity and limit immune interference. NgG induced a robust immune response in mice and outperformed the comparator vaccine 4CMenB in several serological and functional tests. Immunization with GMMA from a FA1090 mutant, where major oligosaccharide epitopes are incomplete or absent, revealed that NgG lipooligosaccharide plays a major role in the breadth of functional responses, with protein component also contributing in some GC strains. These results suggest that NgG has the potential to block GC infection through various mechanisms, supporting further vaccine development.
Authors
- Giacomo Romagnoli
- Nathalie Norais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4567-110X)
- Marianna Taccone
- Marco Spinsanti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5098-3901)
- Sara Tomei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5136-6876)
- Emanuele Bartolini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5683-1941)
- Ivan Pisoni
- Chiara Sammicheli
- Davide Serruto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1050-9439)
- Silvana Savino
- Filippo Carboni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6792-3147)
- Claudia Gianfaldoni
- Giordano Giulia
- Oretta Finco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8652-6534)
- Silvia Senesi
- Giada Buffi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3574-2221)
- Immaculada Margarit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6893-5193)
- Alessandro Muzzi
- Silvia Rossi Paccani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0136-9814)
- Giovanna Tuscano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3496-2457)
- Federico Fontani
- Lucia Eleonora Fontana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1871-1084)
- Maria Rosaria Romano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8568-2363)
- Monica Fabbrini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0428-1588)
- Rossella Cuffaro
- Sara Marchi
- Francesca Angiolini
- Michela Brazzoli
- Isabel Delany
- Elisabetta Monaci
- Ugo D’Oro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7657-8605)
- Maria Giuliani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1674-2490)
- Andrea Guido Oreste Manetti
- Marta Zambelli
- Christian Matano
Institutions
- GlaxoSmithKline (India) (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Vaccines
- Published
- 2025-07-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-025-01190-1
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.10
Funders
- GlaxoSmithKline