A European Union-funded project is combining biotechnology and gene engineering to design novel vaccines based on the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
The Mycosplasma bacteria are the smallest self-replicating organisms.
WHO: Nine Million Infants in Southeast Asia Do Not Get Basic Vaccines
India is one of the countries with less than 80% immunization coverage. Out of 38,000 kids that die due to Measles in Southeast Asia, 27,500 are from India alone.
Advertisement
They lack a cell wall, making them resistant to almost all antibiotics, and infections caused by Mycoplasma in livestock, result in huge losses in Europe and throughout the world.
Although there are vaccines against two species of Mycoplasma that affect pigs and poultry, no vaccines exist for many Mycoplasma species that affect not only livestock but also pets and humans.
![Clinical Trials for Two Ebola Vaccines Show No Adverse Reactions in Monkeys]( "Clinical Trials for Two Ebola Vaccines Show No Adverse Reactions in Monkeys")
There are other vaccines against Ebola that are already in human trials but they have reported side effects including fever and muscle and joint pain.
The eight-million Euro MycoSynVac project will see researchers engineer a universal vaccine chassis that will be free of virulence and optimized for fast growth in a serum-free medium.
This chassis will be used to create specific vaccines against two highly detrimental pathogens that are causing suffering in livestock animals and large financial losses to the animal industry.
The chassis will also set the basis for other potential applications, such as for cell therapy and infectious lung disease treatment.
"We will engineer a new bacteria to be used as a vaccine. We will remove the genes that make the bacteria pathogenic and improve the chassis for an optimized growth in a serum-free medium," said Luis Serrano, director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and co-coordinator of the project.
By expressing specific harmless antigens from one or more pathogens, we will be able to create targeted vector vaccines, he said.
Researchers also foresee that the generated mycoplasma chassis can be further developed for other vaccines and will have other potential applications, such as in cell therapy and infectious lung disease therapy.
Source: IANS
Clinical Trials for Two Ebola Vaccines Show No Adverse Reactions in Monkeys
There are other vaccines against Ebola that are already in human trials but they have reported side effects including fever and muscle and joint pain.
Advertisement
The eight-million Euro MycoSynVac project will see researchers engineer a universal vaccine chassis that will be free of virulence and optimized for fast growth in a serum-free medium.
This chassis will be used to create specific vaccines against two highly detrimental pathogens that are causing suffering in livestock animals and large financial losses to the animal industry.
The chassis will also set the basis for other potential applications, such as for cell therapy and infectious lung disease treatment.
"We will engineer a new bacteria to be used as a vaccine. We will remove the genes that make the bacteria pathogenic and improve the chassis for an optimized growth in a serum-free medium," said Luis Serrano, director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and co-coordinator of the project.
By expressing specific harmless antigens from one or more pathogens, we will be able to create targeted vector vaccines, he said.
Researchers also foresee that the generated mycoplasma chassis can be further developed for other vaccines and will have other potential applications, such as in cell therapy and infectious lung disease therapy.
Source: IANS
Fall in Swine Flu Cases in Kashmir, Vaccines Remain Unused
Around 2,500 swine flu vaccines have been left unused because people are unwilling to get vaccinated due to the declining number of swine flu cases.
Advertisement
 China Agrees to Supply More Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines to IndiaChina had earlier refused to supply more vaccines to India, citing capacity constraints and commitments to other countries. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
New study findings delineate how aging affects the immune response following Spinal cord injury (SCI) and highlight the participation of the spinal cord meninges in repair.
A recent clinical trial suggests that the first medication therapy to reduce the progression of nearsightedness in children could be on the way.
Autoimmune disorders were found to be linked to Sjogren's, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis.
Successful brain pacemaker implantation has helped a 51year old Parkinson's disease patient to revitalize her quality of life.
Recent recommendations on lifestyle behaviors to prevent progression of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases revealed.