Health & Medicine
Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccine Induces Antibodies In Mice, Monkeys
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Aug 14, 2015 05:30 PM EDT
A new study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) examines an experimental, nanopartical-based vaccine for the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV. Study results showed that the immune systems of mice and monkeys who received the vaccine released antibodies against it.
This type of herpes virus results in mononucleosis and is most commonly spread through salivary and genital secretions and most often affects young people as mononucleosis. And most of those who experience the illness will have mild symptoms or none at all, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
"Typically, this infection occurs in adolescents and young adults -- usually the most healthy segment of the population," said Lee, who works in the Infectious Diseases Program at Winthrop-University Hospital, via Health Day.
However, it is also linked with up to 200,000 cases of cancer annually in the United States, including nasal and nasopharyngeal cancers, as well as Burkitt and Hodgkin lymphoma, and and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the agency.
In previous studies, researchers targeted glycoprotein 350, or gp350, which the virus sues to attach to immune cells in order to infect the host. Previous studies have also protected monkeys from developing lymphoma after exposure to a high dose of EBV. However, in the only large human clinical trial of an experimental EBV vaccine conducted to date, the EBV gp350 vaccine did not prevent EBV infection, but did reduce the rate of infectious mononucleosis by 78 percent, according to a news release.
Researchers designed a nanoparticle-based vaccine to express the cell-binding portion of gp350 that induced an immune response 100 times greater than the previous one.
Findings revealed that the design could help with other ones in the future, including a human version of EBV.
"There is still a long way to go before a vaccine that shows promise in mice and non-human primates will be ready for safe and effective protection of people," Dr. Lee concluded.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Cell.
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TagsHealth, Human, Vaccine, Mono, Animals, Epstein-Barr Virus, Virus, Study, National Institute of Health, NIH ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Aug 14, 2015 05:30 PM EDT
A new study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) examines an experimental, nanopartical-based vaccine for the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV. Study results showed that the immune systems of mice and monkeys who received the vaccine released antibodies against it.
This type of herpes virus results in mononucleosis and is most commonly spread through salivary and genital secretions and most often affects young people as mononucleosis. And most of those who experience the illness will have mild symptoms or none at all, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
"Typically, this infection occurs in adolescents and young adults -- usually the most healthy segment of the population," said Lee, who works in the Infectious Diseases Program at Winthrop-University Hospital, via Health Day.
However, it is also linked with up to 200,000 cases of cancer annually in the United States, including nasal and nasopharyngeal cancers, as well as Burkitt and Hodgkin lymphoma, and and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the agency.
In previous studies, researchers targeted glycoprotein 350, or gp350, which the virus sues to attach to immune cells in order to infect the host. Previous studies have also protected monkeys from developing lymphoma after exposure to a high dose of EBV. However, in the only large human clinical trial of an experimental EBV vaccine conducted to date, the EBV gp350 vaccine did not prevent EBV infection, but did reduce the rate of infectious mononucleosis by 78 percent, according to a news release.
Researchers designed a nanoparticle-based vaccine to express the cell-binding portion of gp350 that induced an immune response 100 times greater than the previous one.
Findings revealed that the design could help with other ones in the future, including a human version of EBV.
"There is still a long way to go before a vaccine that shows promise in mice and non-human primates will be ready for safe and effective protection of people," Dr. Lee concluded.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Cell.
Related Articles
Ohio Woman Gives Birth to Rare Set of Monoamniotic Twins
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone