New Typhoid Fever Vaccine Prequalified by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the first conjugate vaccine for typhoid fever. The new typhoid fever vaccine, Typbar-TCV, is produced by Bharat Biotech International of Hyderabad, India. Prequalification means that the vaccine meets the WHO’s “acceptable standards of quality, safety and efficacy” and will now be available to be purchased by…
Vaccine Industry Targets Type 1 Diabetes
Glucose—the natural sugar generated from the foods we eat— is our energy source for all cell functions. The cells, however, cannot directly access the glucose on their own. In the normal course of events, glucose crosses from the blood stream to the cells with help from a hormone…
A Polio Vaccine Made from Tobacco Leaves?
Seeking an alternative to using live poliovirus to create the polio vaccine, scientists are infecting a relative of the tobacco plant with a virus “containing the genetic material of polio” to manufacture a new polio vaccine from the modified plant leaves. If the experimental technique is considered successful once the vaccines have been tested in…
Heroin Vaccine Ready for Testing on Humans
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) of La Jolla, CA has completed pre-clinical testing of a vaccine to block the “high” effect stimulated by the opioid drug heroin and is now ready to test it in humans following tests that showed the vaccine’s effectiveness in nonhuman primates.
A Vaccine to Cure Acne?
Acne, one of the more universal causes of teenage angst, affects many adults as well. A chronic inflammatory disease condition, the role of inflammation in the pathology of acne has been confirmed but there are questions about exactly how and why some people develop severe types of acne and others do not. Some researchers believe the chronic inflammatory skin condition may…
The Upcoming Trials for the First Malaria Vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Apr. 24, 2017 that it will conduct field trials in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi next year on the world’s first malaria vaccine. The vaccine, known as RTS,S (Mosquirix), was developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) of the United Kingdom. It is a injectable vaccine that reportedly offers partial protection against malaria in young children.