What is the Research section?

Here you will find information on all the exciting research projects, both past and present, which have been funded by Meningitis UK. You will be introduced to our researchers and their work, and learn why Meningitis UK funding is so important. This section also contains a timeline to show you what has been achieved so far in meningitis research and some statistics to give you an idea of the impact vaccines have had on this disease

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What is vaccination?

Vaccination is an important way of protecting people from disease. In contrast to treatment which is administered after a person becomes ill, vaccination is administered before illness, when the person is healthy. When a vaccine is administered, the person's body reacts to the vaccine and they become immune. Normally, this means that should they ever encounter the ‘real’ disease, they will already be immune so infection will be prevented and they will not have to suffer the terrible consequences of the disease.

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How do vaccines work?

Vaccines usually contain part of a bacterium or virus, which is harmless on its own (so it cannot cause disease), but can be recognised by the immune system as soon as it enters the body. The immune system thinks it is fighting a real infection and reacts exactly as it would normally, making antibodies to fight the intruder and creating memory cells to remember what happened so, the next time this intruder is spotted, it can react much quicker.

Because the vaccine components look exactly the same as parts of the real bacterium or virus, these memory cells will also recognise and attack the ‘real thing’ should the vaccinated person ever become infected. Therefore, the person has become immune to this bacterium or virus.

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Are vaccines safe?

Yes, but no vaccine is without risk of possible side effects in some people. However, most of these side-effects are mild and short lasting[1]. Pain, swelling and/or redness in the place where the injection was given are common. Young children or babies may also become irritable or unwell with a slight temperature; these side-effects usually go within one to two days[2].

On rare occasions, some may experience an allergic reaction resulting in a rash or itching on part or all of the body. In less than one person in a million, a severe allergic reaction, called ‘anaphylactic shock’ may be experienced within minutes of receiving the vaccine. Medical professionals are trained to deal with this reaction, which is completely reversible if treated promptly[3].

Vaccines are extensively tested for safety and effectiveness before they are routinely available to the general public by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)[4]. The MHRA, in conjunction with the Commission for Human Medicines, continually review all vaccines in the UK through the ‘Yellow Card Scheme’. This system enables the prompt reporting of side-effects. If a problem is identified, actions such as adding a new side effect to the product information or withdrawing the product from the market can be taken.

There are risks involved with vaccination, but these are outweighed by the benefits. Vaccination remains the best defence against a range of potentially serious, even fatal diseases[5].

Useful link: NHS What to expect after vaccinations

Updated 12.7.11

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Why is vaccination important?

Vaccination can protect people from disease, therefore preventing unnecessary illness and suffering. If enough people are vaccinated, a disease may be completely eradicated (as seen with smallpox, with polio not far behind). Vaccination is the best way of fighting disease, because it prevents it from ever occurring.

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Why is a vaccine against Meningitis B needed?

Meningitis can kill in under 4 hours and is a notoriously difficult disease to diagnose as in the early stages symptoms can appear flu-like, which is why finding a vaccine is so urgent. 

Sadly, newspapers report on the pain of families who have suffered from meningitis and its associated diseases almost every day. Based on average figures for the past 10 years, around 3,400 people are affected by bacterial meningitis and septicaemia in the UK each year, of which more than 300 will die and hundreds more will be left with permanent disabilities.

Finding a vaccine to prevent all types of meningitis (including Meningitis B) remains one of the biggest challenges to modern medicine. Whilst vaccines exist to protect against certain forms of meningitis, there is still no vaccine to protect against all forms, including the most common form in the UK - Meningitis B - and others such as Streptococcal Group B.

The good news is that our scientists across the UK are working tirelessly to develop a successful vaccine.

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Why is it so difficult to find a vaccine for Meningitis B?

Scientists know that one in 10 people have the meningitis-causing bacteria Neisseria meningitidis living harmlessly in their noses and throats. But what they don't know yet is why the bacteria sometimes become harmful, spreading to the tissues surrounding the brain causing meningitis and crossing into the bloodstream causing septicaemia.

The search for a vaccine is also complicated because the different meningitis-causing bacteria have different capsules and properties, so a vaccine that can protect one sort (i.e. Meningitis C), might not be able to protect another (i.e. Meningitis B). The challenge is to find a universal vaccine which can stop the spread of all forms of the bacteria.

There are several other factors that complicate the search for a vaccine, particularly against Meningitis B (the most common in the UK). For instance, the sugar coating of this bacterium is very similar to a structure on human nerve tissue, therefore, the body does not try to kill the bacterium as it thinks it is a normal part of the body. Our scientists are working on finding a different protein that the body can recognise as ‘foreign’ and therefore attack, which could then be used in a vaccine to stimulate the immune response.

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What is Meningitis UK’s role in funding research?

Meningitis UK is the leading meningitis charity funding vaccine development research undertaken in the UK. We fund many different types of projects, from research into mechanisms; to explain how meningitis causes disease, technologies; to improve the techniques used in the laboratories, and research concerned with vaccine development.

Meningitis UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) - the leading umbrella organisation representing medical research charities. In the UK, a third of research funding is from charities. The combined contribution of AMRC's member charities is greater than that of the Medical Research Council or the Dept. of Health (including the NHS).

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What type of research does Meningitis UK fund?

Meningitis UK’s primary focus is on funding research into vaccine development, disease mechanisms, therapeutics and new technologies. We do not normally fund clinical trials or epidemiological studies. Our aim is to fund good-quality, innovative, high risk research undertaken by scientists based in the UK.

Recent studies have mostly related to developing a vaccine against Meningitis B, as this bacterium currently poses the greatest threat in the UK. However, our overall goal is to eradicate all forms of meningitis and associated diseases and we have funded projects relating to other forms such as Meningitis C and Pneumococcal meningitis. See projects for details. Our research strategy is governed by the recommendations of our Scientific Medical Advisory Panel and the changing areas of need. We review our research strategy on a regular basis and are currently looking at future priority areas for funding. .

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Why does Meningitis UK mainly fund research into bacterial meningitis?

Bacterial meningitis is much more dangerous than viral meningitis, and even though vaccines have been developed against a number of bacteria, such as Meningitis C and Pneumococcal meningitis, bacterial meningitis still causes a substantial number of deaths each year, especially in infants and young adults. In contrast, viral meningitis - even though a terrible disease - is rarely fatal. Therefore, Meningitis UK believe that, at present, there is a more urgent need to address the threat posed by bacterial meningitis.

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Why does Meningitis UK only fund research in the UK?

There are many different strains of meningitis bacteria and the prominence of the different strains varies from country to country. Developing a vaccine specific to the needs of the UK’s population is our primary goal. And as the UK has always been at the forefront of meningitis research, the knowledge gained through the research we fund is, not only moving us closer to finding a vaccine in the UK, but also adding to the global understanding of these bacteria which will help the fight against these diseases worldwide.

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How are funds distributed?

This is explained in our Research Grants section. Scientists apply by writing a grant proposal, stating the aims and objectives of the project and financial needs of the study. Each project is evaluated by external referees, who are experts in the meningitis research field, and by our Scientific Medical Advisory Panel, who recommend which projects should be given priority. All applications undergo a rigorous peer review process and are scored against a number of criteria by each member of the panel. The final decision lies with Meningitis UK’s Board of Trustees, who usually follow the panel's recommendation.

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How far away are we from a vaccine against Meningitis B?

This is a difficult question and there is no easy answer. Vaccine research is progressing every day, but it is hard to put a figure on the time it will take for a safe and effective vaccine to be freely available. A range of vaccine candidates have been identified by our researchers and some are now progressing to safety studies and may eventually be tested in clinical trials in humans. In September 2010, the pharmaceutical company Novartis announced that their Meningitis B vaccine had shown promising results in an ongoing trial of 3,600 infants and, ultimately, may lead to a Meningitis B vaccine that will be available to children in the UK, pending the successful completion of trials.

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Once a vaccine for Meningitis B is available, what’s next?

Meningitis can be caused by a variety of different agents, from Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae through to less known bacteria such as E. coli and Listeria, to viruses, such as entero, mumps and herpes. Finding a vaccine for Meningitis B is currently the priority, as this agent currently poses the biggest threat in the UK, but even when this vaccine is found, our work will still continue. Our focus will shift to the other forms of meningitis for which there is still no vaccine and our work will continue until we have achieved our aim to find a vaccine to protect against all forms of the disease.

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