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NOVEL VACCINE FORMULATION FOR RABIES DEVELOPED COMMENDABLE PROGRESS IN NEW-GENERATION VACCINES
New Delhi ~ July 20, 2001
The New-Generation Vaccines programme has been making fast progress and some are in final stages of development. The programme taken up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the National Jai Vigyan Mission is focussed on developing new vaccines for dreaded diseases like HIV
malaria, tuberculosis, Japanese Encephalitis, cholera and rabies. This information was given by the Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi while addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of his Ministry recently. He said commendable progress has been made in case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera.
The recombinant oral cholera vaccine has entered phase-II human clinical trials. Extended trials to check the immune response are continuing and expected to be completed by next month. A novel vaccine formulation for rabies has been developed which contains rabies DNA and tissue cultured component. This formulation conferred 100 per cent protection against rabies virus challenge in experimental animals. Immunisation of dogs and cattle/buffaloes with this formulation has yielded acceptable levels of protective neutralising bodies. It is expected that this vaccine formulation would be commercialised by the end of the year for the control of rabies in dogs. Further efforts are on to use this vaccine in humans as a post-bite measure. A rigorous animal toxicity studies are also underway. In case of Japanese Encephalitis immunisation of animals with a synthetic peptide vaccine has yielded more than 60 per cent protection. Efforts are on to improve the vaccine and achieve full protection. Meanwhile ELISA based diagnostic system for Japanese Encephalitis has been validated for technology transfer.
As far as malaria vaccine is concerned work pertaining to purification and characterisation of certain aspects relating to P. falciparum has been accomplished. Patent applications have also been filed with regard to some of these leads. For tuberculosis five different DNA candidate vaccines are being developed as alternatives to BCG. The DNA candidate vaccines using promising protective antigens are being developed at the Delhi University. Animal experimentation has been initiated with these DNA constructs. In HIV/AIDS tests on animals have yielded satisfactory results. Identical studies are being planned in non-human primates. With biotechnological interventions a low-cost-effective affordable efficient health-care regime is emerging through multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary approach said Dr. Joshi.
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