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The vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory disease but over the past 50 years of failed attempts, the team have said a successful vaccine could now be a possibility. It was initially tested on animals by scientists at Italian biotechnology firm Okairos (now Reithera Srl), working with the UK's Pirbright Institute.
The results have been published in the Science Translational Medicine journal.
RSV is a major cause of bronchiolitis. In the UK, most cases improve within two to three weeks without specific treatment, but some children develop severe symptoms and need treatment in hospital. While bronchiolitis causes around 18% of winter-time admissions to paediatric wards, RSV will be the cause of the disease in around 80% of those admitted. It kills around 200,000 people each year, and it is thought two-thirds of babies are infected with the virus before their first birthday.
The Oxford Vaccine Group, working with Reithera Srl, led the clinical trial of the vaccine. It developed a 'prime-boost viral-vectored' RSV vaccine, which has two components; the first vaccine primes the immune system, while the second vaccine boosts it.
Each component was created by modifying other viruses to carry proteins from RSV, but the vectors are adapted so the carrier virus (the vector) cannot replicate to cause disease. Similarly, the RSV element, while it triggers an immune response, cannot also cause an RSV infection.
The vectors were a chimpanzee adenovirus called PanAd3 and a pox virus called modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA). Similar chimpanzee adenovirus vectors and MVA had already been tested as other viral vectored vaccines for other infectious diseases, such as the new Ebola vaccines, and have been found to be safe.
The initial trial looked at whether the vaccine was safe and immunogenic. A total of 42 adult volunteers, who were healthy, received the two components with varying intervals between each element. While the boost component was given as an injection, half of the volunteers received the prime element as an injection and half as a nasal spray.
Commenting on the results from the trial, Dr Christopher Green, lead physician, said: "The results of this trial are a positive signal that prevention of RSV is achievable and follows years of RSV vaccine research at Oxford University and by vaccine manufacturers. The important results of this trial should be dedicated to the members of the public who were willing to be the first to receive the vaccines."
Professor Andrew Pollard, Oxford University and leader of the Oxford Vaccine Group, added: "Both components of the vaccine were found to be safe and to create an immune response. While I am delighted with these results, this was just a first trial. We need this vaccine for children and the elderly and that is where the efforts in vaccine development will now focus."
(JP)
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Experts Complete First Trial Of RSV Vaccine For Infants
Researchers at the University of Oxford have said they have successfully completed the first human trial of a vaccine for a virus that is dangerous to infants.The vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory disease but over the past 50 years of failed attempts, the team have said a successful vaccine could now be a possibility. It was initially tested on animals by scientists at Italian biotechnology firm Okairos (now Reithera Srl), working with the UK's Pirbright Institute.
The results have been published in the Science Translational Medicine journal.
RSV is a major cause of bronchiolitis. In the UK, most cases improve within two to three weeks without specific treatment, but some children develop severe symptoms and need treatment in hospital. While bronchiolitis causes around 18% of winter-time admissions to paediatric wards, RSV will be the cause of the disease in around 80% of those admitted. It kills around 200,000 people each year, and it is thought two-thirds of babies are infected with the virus before their first birthday.
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The Oxford Vaccine Group, working with Reithera Srl, led the clinical trial of the vaccine. It developed a 'prime-boost viral-vectored' RSV vaccine, which has two components; the first vaccine primes the immune system, while the second vaccine boosts it.
Each component was created by modifying other viruses to carry proteins from RSV, but the vectors are adapted so the carrier virus (the vector) cannot replicate to cause disease. Similarly, the RSV element, while it triggers an immune response, cannot also cause an RSV infection.
The vectors were a chimpanzee adenovirus called PanAd3 and a pox virus called modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA). Similar chimpanzee adenovirus vectors and MVA had already been tested as other viral vectored vaccines for other infectious diseases, such as the new Ebola vaccines, and have been found to be safe.
The initial trial looked at whether the vaccine was safe and immunogenic. A total of 42 adult volunteers, who were healthy, received the two components with varying intervals between each element. While the boost component was given as an injection, half of the volunteers received the prime element as an injection and half as a nasal spray.
Commenting on the results from the trial, Dr Christopher Green, lead physician, said: "The results of this trial are a positive signal that prevention of RSV is achievable and follows years of RSV vaccine research at Oxford University and by vaccine manufacturers. The important results of this trial should be dedicated to the members of the public who were willing to be the first to receive the vaccines."
Professor Andrew Pollard, Oxford University and leader of the Oxford Vaccine Group, added: "Both components of the vaccine were found to be safe and to create an immune response. While I am delighted with these results, this was just a first trial. We need this vaccine for children and the elderly and that is where the efforts in vaccine development will now focus."
(JP)
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