There’s been a significant breakthrough in the development of a vaccine to prevent hookworm infection – a parasite which causes serious disease in tens of millions of people globally.
Mouse trials of the vaccine candidate in mice indicate that it is more than twice as effective than current alternatives. The results were published in Vaccines.
Professor Istvan Toth from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology said the easy oral administration would be a gamechanger for developing countries.
“Our vaccine candidate can be orally self-administered, bypassing the need for trained medical staff, and means there’s no requirement for special storage, enabling it to reach large, isolated populations,” Professor Toth said, noting that costs can be significantly reduced.
A serious healthcare challenge
About 500 million people worldwide are infected with hookworm, which lives within the human intestine, feeding on the host’s blood, digested through a special set of enzymes.
It’s often found in regions with poor water quality, sanitation, and hygiene – greatly impacting on the physical and cognitive development of children and increasing the risk of mortality and miscarriage.
UQ’s trials in mice showed significant improvements on an alternative vaccine candidate which only achieved a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in the number of worms.
“The UQ-developed vaccine resulted in an impressive 94% worm reduction in mice,” Professor Toth said, noting that besides being easier to deliver, it “triggers a staggeringly good immune response.”
Hookworms lose their appetite
Paper co-author Dr Mariusz Skwarczynski said the hookworm’s digestion enzyme (APR 1) was the target.
“When the function of these enzymes is blocked, the parasite starves,” Dr Skwarczynski said.
“Our vaccine produces antibodies against the hookworm enzymes responsible for the digestion of blood – they simply stop being able to eat properly.”
The researchers plan to continue working on and refining the vaccine candidate in preclinical development settings, to ensure its safety and efficacy, before beginning human clinical trials.
Source: University of Queensland
