A Phase I trial undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, evaluated the safety, tolerability and bioactivity of the vaccine Nexvax2, which has been developed for coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by an immune reaction to the gluten protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
The three peptides on which the vaccine is based were identified by Dr Bob Anderson from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s Immunology division. The vaccine is being further developed by US biotechnology company ImmusanT, of which Dr Anderson is Chief Scientific and Medical Officer.
Dr Anderson presented the Phase I trial results on Sunday at the Digestive Disease Week symposium in Chicago, Illinois, US.
“Nexvax2 aims to desensitise patients to the three specific peptides in gluten that we have previously identified as ‘toxic’ to people with coeliac disease,” Dr Anderson said. “Our Phase I study showed that Nexvax2 was safe to use and well tolerated, and importantly, that it had the desired biological response in patients with coeliac disease.”
Dr Anderson said the vaccine would be suitable for treating the approximately 90 per cent of coeliac disease patients with the DQ2 genetic form of disease.
The Phase I study evaluated the effect of weekly injections of Nexvax2 over three weeks in coeliac patients on a strict gluten-free diet.
At the highest doses, some patients had gastrointestinal symptoms similar to what they’d experience after eating gluten products. This suggests the vaccine uses the correct peptides for eventually being able to tolerate gluten.
Dr Anderson said the peptides used as part of the vaccine could also be used to improve diagnostic testing of coeliac disease.
Source - Walter + Eliza Hall Institute - webpage.
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