A research team from Gdansk is working on a vaccine to protect against hepatitis C and B (HCV and HBV). If it proves effective, it will be the first of its kind in the world.
Prof Krystyna Bieńkowska-Szewczyk, Dr Katarzyna Grzyb and Ms Anna Czarnota from the interuniversity team of the Faculty of Biotechnology at the University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk are working on a vaccine to protect patients against HCV and HBV. The preparation they have created (with the full name 'Chimeric virus-like particles exposing HCV antigenic sequences for use in the preventive treatment of HCV and/or HBV infection'), has been registered with the patent office.
- The invention relates to recombinant virus-like particles exposing on their surface selected antigenic sequences derived from hepatitis C virus for use as an immunogenic vaccine against infections caused by hepatitis C and/or B viruses - Professor Bieńkowska-Szewczyk described the new preparation.
The research is being carried out as part of the NCN Prelude 12 programme, funded by the National Science Centre.
Viral hepatitis
According to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, HCV is responsible for 1.4 million deaths per year in Poland. The virus causes hepatitis B or C (cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma). In Europe, hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver transplantation procedures.
That is why scientists have been trying for years to find an effective preparation that would protect patients from the disease. As experts report, the main problem standing in the way is the high genetic variability of the HCV virus.
The preparation developed by the Gdansk team may be effective against both HCV and HBV.
- In our invention, exposing highly conserved HCV protein fragments on the surface of virus-like particles based on the sHBsAg protein [highly conserved HCV glycoprotein E2 sequences were inserted into the hydrophilic loop of the sHBsAg protein] allowed us to create bivalent immunogens that induce a response against both HCV and HBV. In the future, our solution could be used as an effective next-generation vaccine to protect against infection with these dangerous pathogens - Anna Czarnota, MA, said.
If future studies clinically confirm the efficacy of the preparation, the Gdansk team will be responsible for one of the most important achievements in the fight against viral hepatitis.
Source: medexpress.co.uk