Bacteriophages for cheap vaccines

2003/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Simple parts of DNA have been replaced by bacteriophages at the British Research Institute for Hepatitis B Vaccination. This is expected to reduce and facilitate the vaccine development process.

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, while humans suffer no harm. Researchers have introduced hepatitis B genes into bacteriophages, with which they have introduced mice and measured the immune response they generate.

It is then compared to the response obtained with the parts of the DNA. Bacteriophages have seen that they are much more effective: in order to obtain the same response, it is enough that bacteriophages are one hundred times less than parts of DNA. In addition, the parts of DNA introduced into bacteriophages are protected, so they last longer than the simple parts of DNA. Moreover, the increase in bacteriophages is very fast, which greatly reduces production. It seems, therefore, that this study has opened the right path for the realization of vaccines.