The answer to one of the world's worst food-borne illnesses may be coming right out of Southeast Texas. Researchers at UTMB have developed a possible vaccine for the E. coli virus, which is a cause of sickness and even death in humans around the world. “Every year, we have an average of 5 to 6 different outbreaks in the United States associated with this bacteria,” says Dr. Alfredo Torres, who is leading the research for UTMB. While the findings are encouraging, Torres cautions that many of these "vaccine candidates" are new and have never been investigated before, so a lot more testing is required. "Perhaps in 3 to 5 years we can actually have some of these candidates being tested in phase one trials," he says. "That's the goal we're trying to reach."