New vaccine may end pneumonia

A new vaccine under development could help end pneumonia, and lower the number of deaths even further by targeting dozens of additional strains of the disease, a study has revealed. Pneumonia is one of the major diseases killing children under five in Nigeria. According to the new research published in the journal Science Advances, the […]

A new vaccine under development could help end pneumonia, and lower the number of deaths even further by targeting dozens of additional strains of the disease, a study has revealed.

Pneumonia is one of the major diseases killing children under five in Nigeria. According to the new research published in the journal Science Advances, the vaccine provoked an immune response to 72 forms of pneumonia strains in lab tests on animals.

Researchers say the study represents the “most comprehensive” coverage of pneumococcal disease to date.

Blaine Pfeifer, PhD, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the study’s co-lead author said: “We’ve made tremendous progress fighting the spread of pneumonia, especially among children. But if we’re ever going to rid ourselves of the disease, we need to create smarter and more cost-effective vaccines.” 

Co-lead author to the study, Charles H. Jones said traditional vaccines completely remove bacteria from the body, adding “But we now know that bacteria — and in a larger sense, the microbiome — are beneficial to maintaining good health”

“What’s really exciting is that we now have the ability — with the vaccine we’re developing — to watch over bacteria and attack it only if it breaks away from the colony to cause an illness. That’s important because if we leave the harmless bacteria in place, it prevents other harmful bacteria from filling that space,” he said.

Key to the technology of the new vaccine is a liposome — a tiny liquid-filled bubble made of fat — that acts as a storage tank for the sugars.

The research team added proteins at the surface of the liposome (also non-covalently) which, together with the sugars, provoke strong immunotherapy. 

“The advantage of our approach is that we don’t have to apply the more complex covalent chemistry that is required for Prevnar,” Pfeifer said. “As a result, we can extend beyond the 13 types of sugars, potentially providing universal coverage against bacteria that causes pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis and other types of pneumococcal disease.

“It holds the promise of saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year.”