Biological technology specialists at Jawaharlal Nehru University in
India are at work on a vaccine and antibodies to prevent or overcome
infection by anthrax bacteria, the Times of India reported on Wednesday (see GSN, Feb. 3).
Antibodies developed at the institution's Biotechnology School have been shown to function as intended in animal trials; work on producing infection-fighting proteins for humans would be next.
"Anthrax outbreaks happen mostly in forest areas where they spread from animals that had contracted the infection. The antibodies will help in dealing with such cases, too. It may take us five more years to have the antibodies cleared by all the regulatory checks," according to professor Rakesh Bhatnagar, who is heading the antibody and vaccine efforts.
Human safety trials are under way for the anthrax vaccine. It could be made available for production and use after the end of the testing program.
"India, U.S., France and U.K. are all in a race to develop [a new] anthrax vaccine," Bhatnagar said. "Who will have it first will only depend on when they manage to complete all three human trials. One of the important reasons for developing the vaccine is its biothreat. In 2001 we saw how anthrax can be used by enemies to kill people. Inhaling the bacteria will lead to death in 99 percent of cases".
http://www.nti.org/gsn/
Antibodies developed at the institution's Biotechnology School have been shown to function as intended in animal trials; work on producing infection-fighting proteins for humans would be next.
"Anthrax outbreaks happen mostly in forest areas where they spread from animals that had contracted the infection. The antibodies will help in dealing with such cases, too. It may take us five more years to have the antibodies cleared by all the regulatory checks," according to professor Rakesh Bhatnagar, who is heading the antibody and vaccine efforts.
Human safety trials are under way for the anthrax vaccine. It could be made available for production and use after the end of the testing program.
"India, U.S., France and U.K. are all in a race to develop [a new] anthrax vaccine," Bhatnagar said. "Who will have it first will only depend on when they manage to complete all three human trials. One of the important reasons for developing the vaccine is its biothreat. In 2001 we saw how anthrax can be used by enemies to kill people. Inhaling the bacteria will lead to death in 99 percent of cases".
http://www.nti.org/gsn/
