PAI LIFE SCIENCES INC — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase II: NIAID

Description

DESCRIPTIONprovided by applicantSchistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease of public health concern to a billion people withmillion currently infected andmillion at risk to acquire the infectionthe majority of these in AfricaThe disease has a high impact on affected people s lives with disability adjusted life years atmillion years which ran this malady ahead of malariaCurrent control strategies have been geared toward repeated treatment with a drug discovered in thes and standards for monitoring administration and progress have been inconsistent and inadequateReliance on the drug therapy approach alone is a poor strategy since this approach has had little impact on the reduction of disease transmission and there is always the inherent threat of drug resistance being developed by the parasiteA prophylactic schistosomiasis vaccine that provides at leastprotection would play an important role in dramatically reducing the impact of this diseaseVaccine generated immune responses could lead to reduced worm burdens and lower egg production and ultimately result in lowered transmissionThis application is an extension of our systematic and methodical approach towards developing a vaccine for schistosomiasisOver the last twenty yearswe have applied this strategy towards developing Sm pinto a viable vaccine candidateAt presentto our knowledgeSmpis the sole schistosome vaccine candidate that has been tested for preventioninterruption of transmission and in therapyOur candidate vaccine has three protective effectsworm reductionegg reductionand protection against acute diseaseFunding this application will help our continuing efforts to develop Sm pthrough cGMP manufacture for future human clinical trialsultimately resulting in an approved vaccine