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162766
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 13:11
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https://oananews.org//node/162766
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THAI SCIENTISTS DEVELOP WORLD'S FIRST DENGUE VACCINE
By Jamaluddin Muhammad
BANGKOK, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Thai scientists have developed the world's first dengue vaccine and its mass production is expected in less than 10 years.
Strains and vaccines for four types of dengue virus have been developed and tested in animals and the next stage will be developing the mixture and tests on humans before the vaccine production begins.
Chiang Mai University, Mahidol University and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) are collaborating in the vaccine project.
Prof Dr Nut Pamornprawat from Mahidol University led the Thai research team as the first to develop Chimeric Live-attenuated Vaccine by genetic engineering six years ago.
The effort was later pursued by Assoc Prof Dr Suthee Yoksan from Mahidol University and Assoc Prof Dr Nopporn Sittisombat and Dr Boonsook Kelapang, both of Chiang Mai University. Budget and managerial support for the project are provided by the NSTDA.
The two universities and NSTDA today transferred the dengue vaccine technology to BioNet-Asia Co Ltd, a local biotechnology company, for further development and production of the vaccine, at the Science and Technology Ministry, here.
"This collaboration brings together the expertise from each organisation to create the research work that is beneficial to the Thai medical and public health. It can lower the fatality rate of infected children, reduce medical and public health expenditure and efficiently control and cure dengue fever in the future," said Director of NSTDA Dr Thaweesak Koanantakoo.
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, erupted during World War II and then spread rapidly during the last 20 years.
Dengue now affects most of tropical Asia and the Americas, resulting in tens of millions of cases of severe dengue fever worldwide annually with 500,000 persons, mostly children, hospitalised with dengue haemorrhagic fever.
No specific treatment or vaccine was available prior to this latest development.
Four dengue viruses are the Serotype 1, Serotype2, Serotype3 and Serotype4.
Dr Boonsook said the most challenging task during the research was to develop strains of the Serotype3 virus through genetic engineering as it had never been developed in a laboratory before.
"It took us 10 years for the categorisation of the four viruses and the last three years for the development of strains and vaccine," she said.
She said tests on a monkey for vaccine against the Serotype1 virus showed that the animal managed to develop immunisation and later produce its own antibody against the virus.
"Successful vaccine tests also have been conducted against the other three types of viruses by using mice," she said.
Asked why different types of animal were used for the tests, Dr Boonsook said: "We can't afford to get monkeys for all the tests due to budget constraints. Monkeys are more expensive than mice."
She said the research found dengue vaccines for the four viruses.
"The next step of research for the scientists and the company is to find the right 'cocktail mixture' for one vaccine that can take care of the four viruses," she said.
Usually, a person is only immune to the infected virus for life but not the other three viruses.
"Not only do we need vaccines for all the viruses, we need to make sure the immunity they develop are at the same level," said Science and Technology Minister Dr Virachai Virameteekul.
He said this explained why the world still did not have the dengue vaccine over the past 30 years of research and development.
Asked why the company would take about 10 years to mass produce the vaccine, Bionet-Asia President Vitoon Vonghangool said: "I don't want to be too optimistic or too pessimistic but the development of vaccine takes a long time."
He said a lot of tests have to be further conducted before the mass production of the vaccine could take off.
"We will try to produce the vaccine in less than 10 years at an affordable cost for the people," he said.
BANGKOK, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Thai scientists have developed the world's first dengue vaccine and its mass production is expected in less than 10 years.
Strains and vaccines for four types of dengue virus have been developed and tested in animals and the next stage will be developing the mixture and tests on humans before the vaccine production begins.
Chiang Mai University, Mahidol University and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) are collaborating in the vaccine project.
Prof Dr Nut Pamornprawat from Mahidol University led the Thai research team as the first to develop Chimeric Live-attenuated Vaccine by genetic engineering six years ago.
The effort was later pursued by Assoc Prof Dr Suthee Yoksan from Mahidol University and Assoc Prof Dr Nopporn Sittisombat and Dr Boonsook Kelapang, both of Chiang Mai University. Budget and managerial support for the project are provided by the NSTDA.
The two universities and NSTDA today transferred the dengue vaccine technology to BioNet-Asia Co Ltd, a local biotechnology company, for further development and production of the vaccine, at the Science and Technology Ministry, here.
"This collaboration brings together the expertise from each organisation to create the research work that is beneficial to the Thai medical and public health. It can lower the fatality rate of infected children, reduce medical and public health expenditure and efficiently control and cure dengue fever in the future," said Director of NSTDA Dr Thaweesak Koanantakoo.
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, erupted during World War II and then spread rapidly during the last 20 years.
Dengue now affects most of tropical Asia and the Americas, resulting in tens of millions of cases of severe dengue fever worldwide annually with 500,000 persons, mostly children, hospitalised with dengue haemorrhagic fever.
No specific treatment or vaccine was available prior to this latest development.
Four dengue viruses are the Serotype 1, Serotype2, Serotype3 and Serotype4.
Dr Boonsook said the most challenging task during the research was to develop strains of the Serotype3 virus through genetic engineering as it had never been developed in a laboratory before.
"It took us 10 years for the categorisation of the four viruses and the last three years for the development of strains and vaccine," she said.
She said tests on a monkey for vaccine against the Serotype1 virus showed that the animal managed to develop immunisation and later produce its own antibody against the virus.
"Successful vaccine tests also have been conducted against the other three types of viruses by using mice," she said.
Asked why different types of animal were used for the tests, Dr Boonsook said: "We can't afford to get monkeys for all the tests due to budget constraints. Monkeys are more expensive than mice."
She said the research found dengue vaccines for the four viruses.
"The next step of research for the scientists and the company is to find the right 'cocktail mixture' for one vaccine that can take care of the four viruses," she said.
Usually, a person is only immune to the infected virus for life but not the other three viruses.
"Not only do we need vaccines for all the viruses, we need to make sure the immunity they develop are at the same level," said Science and Technology Minister Dr Virachai Virameteekul.
He said this explained why the world still did not have the dengue vaccine over the past 30 years of research and development.
Asked why the company would take about 10 years to mass produce the vaccine, Bionet-Asia President Vitoon Vonghangool said: "I don't want to be too optimistic or too pessimistic but the development of vaccine takes a long time."
He said a lot of tests have to be further conducted before the mass production of the vaccine could take off.
"We will try to produce the vaccine in less than 10 years at an affordable cost for the people," he said.
