chikungunya vaccine induces robust antibody response

An experimental vaccine to prevent the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The results are reported in the current issue of The Lancet.

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya. First identified in East Africa in the early 1950s, chikungunya virus caused sporadic illness in Africa and large urban outbreaks in Thailand and India in the 1960s and 1970s. It first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in late 2013.

As of August 8, more than 570,000 confirmed or suspected cases had been reported throughout the Americas. In the continental United States, 484 cases have been reported as of August 5, and the first two locally acquired infections were detected in Florida in mid-July.

“The two species of mosquito that spread chikungunya virus are found in parts of the continental United States, so it may just be a matter of time before this illness gains a foothold here,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “Therefore, it is prudent to begin addressing this emerging public health threat with the development of vaccines, such as this one, which was designed and tested by scientists from the NIAID Vaccine Research Center.”

UM SOM at forefront to develop vaccine for Ebola virus

As the number of lives taken by the Ebola virus in West Africa quickly approaches 1,000, and the US prepares as rapidly as it can, it is clear that little is known in the medical community about the virus. In fact, some experts point out that the number of medical professionals who can properly diagnose and recommend the next steps for treatment is alarmingly small.

Some scientists, however, like Alan Schmaljohn, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), have spent decades studying the Ebola virus and similar viruses identifying key characteristics that have aided in the development of vaccines, antivirals and treatment methods.

As a leader of research and Chief in the Viral pathogenesis and Immunology Branch with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Dr. Schmaljohn was able to help identify three of the key antibodies that are used currently in combination with each other to treat patients infected with Ebola.

Dr. Schmaljohn is now one of the scientific leaders in the UM SOM partnership with Department of Defense contract recipient Paragon Bioservices in the manufacture of an Ebola virus vaccine for initial safety testing in humans.

“Several vaccine candidates for Ebolavirus are proceeding through initial manufacture toward safety testing in human volunteers,” Dr. Schmaljohn said. “Different vaccine candidates are based upon different ‘platforms’ in which selected viral proteins may be made ‘in the test tube’ and purified for injection, or may be added genetically as passengers of a different variety of virus that is weakened. Only human trials will provide the final answers as to which vaccines are best on the basis of many criteria, foremost being safety and efficacy,” he said.

China Human Vaccine Industry

In the wake of China's economic growth and enhanced disease prevention awareness, Chinese human vaccine market has been expanding. In 2012, Chinese human vaccine market valued RMB10.5 billion with the lot release quantity of roughly 773 million person-portions.

Restricted by China's national conditions and policies, EPI vaccines still prevail in China and Chinese EPI vaccine market is almost monopolized by state-run enterprises represented by CNBG Tiantan Biological, Biological Products Institutes in Changchun, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shanghai and Lanzhou, and Institute of Medical Biology of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Kunming. In 2012, state-owned enterprises seized 81.5% of the vaccine lot release quantity in Chinese EPI vaccine market.