Scimex: Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics has developed a
groundbreaking, combination vaccine that may finally beat Streptococcus A
infections. Human trials are set to
begin, early as next year, for the vaccine which combines the protein,
SpyCEP, with a previously developed vaccine J8-DT. Infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes are
responsible for the deaths of almost 500,000 people worldwide each
year. It is particularly prevalent in developing countries and
Indigenous populations, including Aboriginal people and Torres Strait
Islanders.Infections can
range from tonsillitis and what is commonly known as 'schools sores', to
life threatening diseases where deep tissues are infected.
If left untreated infections can give rise to the very serious condition of rheumatic heart disease.
Principal
Research Leader at the Institute for Glycomics, Professor Michael Good
said the team's latest research, which is published in the current issue
of the Journal of Immunology, shows that they are getting closer to beating Strep A once and for all.
"We have successfully vaccinated mice with a vaccine that we believe will be suitable for humans," he said.
"We
will spend the next six months developing that vaccine at a high level
of purity suitable for humans and hope to start a clinical trial next
year."
The inspiration to use
SpyCEP came to Professor Good during a conference in Rome three years
ago. He then thought of combining it with the J8-DT vaccine.
"While
Strep A can cause tonsillitis or school sores, it can sometimes develop
a mutation in its DNA which causes the organism to spread to other
tissues in your body," he said.
"This
is when it becomes dangerous and 10-15 per cent of infected people will
die when that happens. But we have worked out how to combat that
virulence.
"We vaccinated the
mice with a protein which induces antibodies that protect the white
cells that are needed to battle the infection when a mutation occurs.
"When
the white cells can work, they can attack the organism as long as there
are other antibodies there. And this is when the J8-DT vaccine comes
in."
Professor Good said it was the combination of the two vaccines that he believes will be highly effective.
The
Institute for Glycomics has secured funding from the National
Foundation for Medical Research Innovation to start the human clinical
trials.