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本帖最后由 风雨不动 于 2012-4-14 15:41 编辑
Promising Hepatitis C Vaccine Trial From Oxford University
January 07, 2012 07:50 PM EST
Source:
<http://cirrus.mail-list.com/hepatitis-b/18415055.html> A
hepatitis C vaccine trial conducted by researchers at world-renowned Oxford
University is showing promising results, according to their report in
Science Translational Medicine. This is an extremely heartening
breakthrough, due to the fact that we have vaccines for hepatitis A and B,
but hepatitis C has long eluded the scientific community. The reason for
this is a virus constantly changing its appearance, confounding even the
best and the brightest--a constantly moving target. However, this recent
early clinical trial at Oxford--despite only including 41 patients--sheds
light on new possibility. Encouragingly, Britain's Hepatitis C Trust has
been quoted by BBC News, describing the trial's findings to be "very
promising." Their chief executive, Charles Gore, stated: "This is very
promising research. There has been rapid development in drugs to treat
hepatitis C, but vaccine development has lagged behind. Yet, if we only
treat existing infections, we will always be behind the curve. We badly
need to improve prevention and this is an excellent step in that
direction." Scientists seem to have overcome the more baffling aspects of
hepatitis C by focusing on its inner workings, rather than outward
appearance or surface markers. Dr. Paul Klenerman, one of the researchers
on the project, explained: "The immune responses we've seen are exciting
and we are beginning the next stage of trials. While we are hopeful, it
could be a long road to any vaccine that protects people against hepatitis
C." This may be true, but this is a virus (formerly "non-A non-B
hepatitis") whose existence was not even confirmed until 1989. Even if we
still have a long road ahead of us, illuminating this road is a major step
in the field of hepatology and is very exciting. Any advance in vaccine
technology is a wonderful development, as the ability to prevent illnesses
is always a huge step toward their defeat. In this case, researchers took
the common cold virus and modified it with genetic material from the
hepatitis C virus, triggering the immune system to fight it off. In the
Phase 1 trial--to determine the safety of the hepatitis C vaccine and
formulate plans for future trials--41 healthy patients were given the
vaccine. They developed a "very strong" immune response that lasted at
least a year. There were no major side effects. Phase 2 will be a trial
involving at-risk patients, to determine whether the immune response is
actually effective against the virus. Hepatitis C can go unnoticed for
years, and cause severe liver damage in the interim, making this disease
one for which a vaccine would be particularly valuable. The World Health
Organization estimates the number of cases worldwide could be as high as
170 million. The virus is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact,
commonly with tainted needles. Infections can be controlled with antiviral
drugs once they are diagnosed.
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发表于 2012-1-9 16:53