XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
  Virology
   West Nile Virus
  Bacteriology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM

Virology Channel
subscribe to Virology newsletter

Latest Research : Microbiology : Virology

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Innovative method for creating a human cytomegalovirus vaccine outlined
Aug 2, 2006 - 11:43:00 AM, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena

"It should be possible to develop a safe and effective CMV vaccine using the method we've described in our study. Success will depend on achieving a certain balance between the immune-stimulating genes from the human virus and the basic safety of the mouse virus."

 
Each year, about 40,000 children are born infected with human cytomegalovirus, or CMV, and about 8,000 of these children suffer permanent disabilities due to the virus � almost one an hour. These disabilities can include hearing loss, vision loss, mental disability, a lack of coordination, and seizures. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CMV is as common a cause of serious disability as Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, or neural tube defects.

Because of the dangers posed by the virus to infants, the Institute of Medicine has declared that development of a CMV vaccine should be one of the highest priorities for vaccine makers. Now, in a new study in the August 1 issue of The Journal of Virology, researchers at The Wistar Institute outline an innovative approach that could be used to create such a vaccine.

The Wistar scientists began with the observation that mice harbor a species-specific form of CMV that is unable to sustain an infection in humans and is completely harmless to them. They then asked whether, using recombinant technologies, there might not be a way to shift the mouse-specific virus closer to the human-specific virus to generate a version of the virus able to elicit a protective immune response but not a dangerous infection in humans.

With this goal, the researchers began to systematically introduce selected genes from human CMV into the genome of mouse CMV in the laboratory. The result was a novel form of CMV virus that infected human cells well enough that it might trigger an immune response but not well enough to sustain an infection.

"It should be possible to develop a safe and effective CMV vaccine using the method we've described in our study," says Gerd G. Maul, Ph.D., a professor in the Gene Expression and Regulation Program at Wistar and senior author on the new study. "Success will depend on achieving a certain balance between the immune-stimulating genes from the human virus and the basic safety of the mouse virus."

Over the years, a number of scientists have worked to create a vaccine against human CMV. Among these is former Wistar researcher Stanley A. Plotkin, M.D., who during his career at the Institute between 1960 and 1991 developed the rubella vaccine that eradicated the disease in the U.S. and co-developed a new rotavirus vaccine approved in the U.S. in 2006. Plotkin's approach to developing a CMV vaccine was to attenuate, or weaken, human CMV, as he had done to create the rubella vaccine. In contrast, the rotavirus vaccine was developed using co-infection techniques to incorporate selected elements from several human rotavirus strains into a bovine rotavirus backbone. The vaccine that resulted takes advantage of the immunological characteristics of both the human and bovine viruses. This approach is conceptually similar to Maul's strategy for developing a CMV vaccine, although the recombinant technologies available today should help to streamline the task.

CMV infection is widespread in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 50 and 80 percent of adults are infected with CMV by the time they reach 40 years of age, but the virus generally poses little threat to them. The exceptions are AIDS patients, transplant recipients, and others with compromised immune systems are at risk for complications. The virus is a member of the herpes virus family, which includes the herpes simplex viruses, the viruses that cause chicken pox (varicella-zoster virus), and infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus.) Infectious transmission is via body fluids.
 

- August 1 issue of The Journal of Virology
 

www.wistar.org

 
Subscribe to Virology Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The lead author on the study was Qiyi Tang, Ph.D. Support for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation, and the Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research, with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. Discoveries at Wistar have led to the creation of the rubella vaccine that eradicated the disease in the U.S., rabies vaccines used worldwide, and a new rotavirus vaccine approved in 2006. Wistar scientists have also identified many cancer genes and developed monoclonal antibodies and other important research tools. Today, Wistar is home to eminent melanoma researchers and pioneering scientists working on experimental vaccines against flu, HIV, and other diseases. The Institute works actively to transfer its inventions to the commercial sector to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible.


Related Virology News

How West Nile virus evades immune defenses
Innovative method for creating a human cytomegalovirus vaccine outlined
Cracking Virus Protection Shield
Viruses trade-off between survival and reproduction
New hybrid virus provides targeted molecular imaging of cancer
Mass spectrometry to detect norovirus particles
xCT molecule is a major gateway for KSHV to enter human cells
Surprising discovery about the inner workings of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)
New human retrovirus - Xenotropic MuLV-related virus (XMRV)
Viruses can be forced to evolve as better delivery vehicles for gene therapy


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us