Active Infection & Immunity Chemistry

AUREUS: wAll teichoic acids as immUnogenic and conseRved altErnative targets for therapies versUs S. aureus

Funder UKRI
Recipient organisation University of York
Funding £268K
Period Feb 2025 — Jan 2029

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria coat themselves in sugar-based armour that helps them evade the human immune system, and this project trains 14 young scientists to turn that armour into a target for new therapies. Multidrug-resistant S. aureus is a growing threat in hospitals and communities, causing infections that are increasingly difficult to treat with existing antibiotics. The bacteria’s wall teichoic acids (WTAs)—unique sugar polymers on their cell surface—are poorly understood, yet they play a central role in how the bacteria hide from immune defences. The AUREUS network brings together chemists, microbiologists and immunologists from nine academic labs and four companies to decode how these molecules are built and how the immune system responds to them. If successful, this work could lead to immune-based therapies—such as vaccines or antibody treatments—that target WTAs directly, offering an alternative to conventional antibiotics. Because WTAs are conserved across S. aureus strains, such therapies might work against many drug-resistant variants. The project is fundamentally curiosity-driven, exploring basic biochemistry and immunology, but its industrial partnerships ensure that any discoveries are tested for practical use in diagnostics or therapeutics. Past fundamental research on bacterial surface molecules has already yielded vaccines for other pathogens.

View original technical description
The AUREUS doctoral network meets the increasing need of a highly qualified work force to counteract multidrug-resistant S. aureus infections by performing cutting-edge, inter-disciplinary research in the multifaceted field of chemical biology. The proposed research program aims at training Doctoral Candidates (DCs) to acquire complementary skills to exploit and develop different and innovative strategies to i) unveil the biosynthesis and structure of unique S. aureus cell wall glycopolymers, the so-called WTA (wall teichoic acids), ii) gain greater insights into the molecular basis of the human immune responses to S. aureus WTA, iii) harness the acquired knowledge to rationally design and develop effective immune-based therapies against S. aureus and related bacterial species. To this end, the AUREUS intersectoral program is based on a unique international team combining expertise in different fields including chemistry, (micro-)biology and immunology. In detail, 9 world academic leaders in the glycoscience and/or S. aureus research world and 4 companies (SMEs) with world-class expertise in glycoscience, cutting-edge diagnostics and therapeutic research programs will be involved in the AUREUS project. Each DC will have their own individual project, based on fundamental science and with practical applications, either in biotechnology or in biomedicine, as will be explored through secondments with our industrial partners. The AUREUS network will provide 14 young scientists with broad, top-class scientific and professional competences and skills, thereby expanding the pipeline of future leaders for both industry and academia.

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Researchers

Lianne Willems (Principal Investigator)

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Original classification

Training Grant

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