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Pharma Tech Outlook | Monday, April 26, 2021
OMV-based vaccines are seamless and feasible vaccination methods protecting against Lyme disease.
FREMONT, CA: Intravacc, a leader in translational research and development of preventive and therapeutic vaccines, announces positive preclinical data for its OMV based Lyme disease vaccine. Publication of the study in the scientific journal Vaccine titled Vaccination with meningococcal outer membrane vesicles carrying Borrelia OspA guards against experimental Lyme borreliosis describes the preclinical data of the candidate Lyme vaccine based on Intravaccs OMV platform. This study illustrates that OMVs expressing Borrelia (lipo)proteins is a promising vaccine idea that might guard humans against Lyme disease.
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Presently there is no vaccine against Lyme disease, the fastest growing, and most common tick-borne illness. If untreated, symptoms may comprise loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, and severe headaches with neck stiffness or heart palpitations. Antibiotics are the primary treatment, but only when given in time. A vaccine would avoid the use of antibiotics and the rise of antibiotic resistance.
Vaccination of animals has shown that Intravaccs OMV-powered vaccines can guard against various pathogens. Toxicology studies with several OMV-based vaccines found no tissue and organ damage in the animals. OMV based meningococcal vaccine phase I and II trials have shown that they are secure in both children and adults. Today an OMV-based vaccine has been approved by the EMA and is on the market.
To gauge the protection after Vaccination, animals were infected with live Borrelia burgdorferi by needle injection on day 42. On day 62, all mice were sacrificed, and blood and organs were gathered and tested for the presence of borrelia by culture and DNA testing. At the same time, blood samples were gathered from all the animals. Strong antibody responses were comprised in animals that received OMV-OspA. Whereas in the control group, no borrelia antibodies were identified. In the skin of one of the eight animals, live bacteria were found. Traces of Borrelia-specific DNA were found in one to two animals.
This study illustrates that OMV-based vaccines expressing Borrelia (lipo)proteins are seamless and feasible vaccination methods that protect against Lyme disease and result in a promising prophylactic vaccine for humans.
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