Staphylococcus aureus is a leading pathogen in surgical site, intensive care unit, and skin infections as well as health-care associated pneumonias. There are no licensed vaccines on the market despite the significant efforts done by public and private initiatives. Indeed, vaccines tested in clinical trials in the last two decades have failed to show efficacy. Potential target populations for efficacy trials taking into account key factors such as population size, incidence of S. aureus infection, disease outcome and primary endpoints will be discussed.
Human skin explants represent a valid alternative to animal models for vaccine research. A human skin explant model to study the pathogenic role of alpha-toxin and Panton-Valentine leucocidin, inflammatory responses elicited by these toxins and the neutralizing ability of antibodies to mitigate skin damage will be presented.

Fabio Bagnoli is discovery project leader of research & development vaccine programs at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). He has served as editor of several publications and is the coordinator of an industrial academic effort on human organotypic models. He holds a PhD from the University of Padova and conducted post-doctoral studies at Stanford University.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Barbara M. Bröker