The Vanderbilt Center for Antibody Therapeutics has received large-scale government grants and contracts to fund the discovery of human antiviral antibodies. The problem is the next step — finding corporate partners to develop the antibodies through human testing.

A national search will be conducted to identify Dooley’s successor as director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, and an interim director will be announced at a later date.

The findings suggest that disease-associated microbes can actively drive intestinal inflammation by reshaping host metabolism, suggesting new therapeutic possibilities to prevent or disrupt diseases like infectious diarrhea and colorectal cancer.

The findings suggest the gut microbiota — microorganisms that live in the intestines — could be a therapeutic target to prevent hospital-acquired lung infections.

Roughly 8 in 10 parents surveyed across the state said they are concerned about communicable diseases like measles if others are not immunized and agreed that immunizations are important to protect their children from serious infections.

Gram-negative bacteria bloodstream infections are a major cause of illness and death worldwide, especially where antimicrobial resistance is more common.  

“These antibodies hold significant promise to be used in people who are at risk of measles, but who cannot respond to the measles vaccine due to their weakened immune systems," said James Crowe Jr., MD, whose research team isolated the human monoclonal antibodies.