The body defends itself against infections with a type of white cell called the T lymphocyte. When these blood cells take on the bacteria, they trigger an inflammation that can damage tissue, so there are also other similar blood cells whose main task is to reduce the inflammation and protect tissue. Ellen Marks and her colleagues are the first research team to discover that these anti-inflammatory forces predominate in the lower parts of the female genital tract, mainly mediated by a hormone called IL-10, which is highly protective against tissue damage.

"The result is that the T lymphocytes that could fight Chlamydia are not concentrated in the lower vagina, and the infection can move up towards the womb and fallopian tubes relatively unhindered," says Ellen Marks.

The research team already has a concept of how a vaccine based on this new understanding could work, and they have also tested it on mice."The method of administration is an important remaining issue. Previous research has shown that injections don't work, and so the vaccine will probably need to be given either as a nasal spray or in the form of a cream applied into the vagina," says Ellen Marks.

This research is being done at MIVAC (the Mucosal Immunology and Vaccine Center) - the Sahlgrenska Academy's strategic research centre. Researchers at the centre are developing novel methods of treating diseases that affect our mucous membranes.

The Mucosal Immunobiology and Vaccine Center (MIVAC) at the University of Gothenburg is a strategic research center that in 2006 was granted 5 years financial support from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.

The overall aim of the center is to foster basic and applied science in the field of mucosal immunobiology and vaccine development. MIVAC represents an important effort to bring together a critical mass of highly renowned research groups in one geographical location to expand Swedish international scientific excellence in the field. An important asset to MIVAC is the ability to take advances in pre-clinical research to clinical testing and commercial exploitation together with our group of collaborating industrial partners.

The center has 22 independent but interacting research groups comprising 120 people at all academic levels. A wide range of competencies are represented in MIVAC including microbiology, immunology, cell biology, protein and glycolipid chemistry, structural biology, bioinformatics and statistics as well as gastroenterology and clinical immunology. MIVAC is thus an attractive environment for advanced education and training. 

Source: Uni-protokolle