A Rapid Method of Generating Live Attenuated Vaccines

PATENT STATUS

PCT application disclosing this invention was filed in April 2017.

OVERVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY ON OFFER

A rapid and reliable method for generation of live attenuated vaccines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) contain pathogens, including viruses that are viable but have reduced virulence. LAVs are typically more effective than inactivated vaccines and have been successful in preventing many viral diseases, including smallpox, chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella and yellow fever. Conventionally, LAV development has mostly relied on chance discovery of attenuated strains of pathogens upon serial passage in cell lines or animals. More recently, targeted site-directed mutagenesis has been employed to develop “attenuated” strains of pathogens although these candidates have yet to be translated into vaccines for use in humans. Consequently, identifying suitably attenuated strains of pathogens for further development into vaccines remains a lengthy process, typically involving years, with a hit or miss outcome. In addition to unreliable outcomes, current methods of vaccine development involve significant costs. Therefore, there is a need to provide a rapid and reliable method to generate LAVs that overcome, or at least ameliorate, the disadvantages described above.

Professor Ooi Eng Eong’s lab at Duke-NUS Medical School has developed a rapid and reliable method for generating LAVs. The total time taken from isolation of a wild-type viral strain to the generation of a suitable LAV candidate is only about 10 weeks, a significant reduction from the time taken to generate LAVs by using conventional methods. A ZIKA LAV candidate that was generated using this methodology in Prof Ooi’s lab was tested in mice infected with the wild-type ZIKA strain. It was found that all ZIKA-infected mice immunized with the ZIKA LAV survived as opposed to non-LAV vaccinated mice which showed less than 50% survival, proving the efficacy of this new method for LAV generation.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

This new method can be used for manufacturing live attenuated vaccines for prevention of infectious diseases such as ZIKA and Dengue.

KEY BENEFIT

This method requires a shorter duration for manufacturing LAVs with reliable efficacy in comparison to existing/conventional methods.

PUBLICATIONS

None yet

INVENTOR BIO

Ooi Eng Eong

CONTACT

Please email us for further enquiries: cted@duke-nus.edu.sg