Synthetic vaccines for mutating viruses
Immune Targeting Systems (ITS) Limited is developing synthetic vaccines for mutating viruses.
Major global human diseases exist today for which no effective or poorly protective vaccines exist. Viruses such as Influenza, Hepatitis-B and C, Herpes, Human Papilloma virus, HIV, Dengue, other pathogens such as Tuberculosis and Malaria, not to forget cancer could potentially be targeted by vaccines.
Despite major advances in other areas of medicine and disease control we still do not have the vaccine technologies able to cope with these pathogens. There are two key reasons for this which factor into the ITS vaccine platform innovation. Firstly, there is a requirement for effective T-cell immunity to control disease caused by these viruses (and other pathogens) and /or secondly these viruses have a tendency to mutate when put under immune pressure.
In general, today’s conventional vaccine technologies, generate antibody immunity which targets the surface of the virus which is “hyper-variable”. Antibody vaccines work best when viral surface antigens do not mutate or when the surface of the virus does not attempt to hide from the antibodies. In essence these viruses operate in a stealth or chameleon like manner.
Fortunately nature shows us it is possible to control these viruses and pathogens with another type of immunity called T-cell (or cellular) immunity which is not subject to the same limitations as antibody immunity. ITS T-cell vaccine platform was designed to target these mutating viruses and other pathogens by generating robust antiviral T-cell immunity to parts of the virus that do not mutate. In so doing we are now working hard to develop vaccines for these diseases.
The Company’s first vaccine is a universal influenza vaccine able to target all potential seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines. We expect this to be ready to commence clinical development at the end of 2009 and the company, its partners and investors are all working very hard to achieve this goal.
