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Vaxcyte Announces Publication of Preclinical Proof-of-Concept Data Supporting Potential of VAX-A1, a Novel Conjugate Vaccine Designed to Prevent Group A Strep Infections
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Jan. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxcyte, Inc., a next-generation vaccine company seeking to improve global health by developing
About this update from Vaxcyte, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"FOSTER CITY, Calif., Jan. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxcyte, Inc., a next-generation vaccine company seeking to improve global health by developing superior and novel vaccines designed to prevent or treat some of the most common and deadly infectious diseases worldwide, today announced the publication of preclinical data for VAX-A1, the Company’s novel Group A Streptococcus (Group A Strep) conjugate vaccine candidate, in the journal Infectious Microbes & Diseases. Group A Strep is one of the leading causes of bacterial infections worldwide, including strep throat and certain severe invasive infections such as sepsis, necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome. Strep throat is particularly common in school-age children and a significant source of antibiotic prescriptions globally. The Group A Strep pathogen is also a leading cause of mortality in emerging countries by eliciting immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the significant public health need caused by Group A Strep and has articulated a strategic goal to develop a safe and globally effective Group A Strep vaccine for prevention of acute infections, secondary immune-mediated sequelae and disease-associated mortality and to reduce reliance on antibiotics to help mitigate the growing concern of antibiotic resistance. In the study, a novel protein and polysaccharide conjugate of the Group A Strep polysaccharide was constructed for inclusion in a universal subunit vaccine against infections by the pathogen. The study demonstrated that active immunization of mice with the vaccine protected against a Group A Strep challenge in systemic infection and localized skin infection models. Moreover, the antibodies induced by the vaccine bound to a wide array of genetically distinct circulating strains of Group A Strep, without evidence of cross-reactivity to human heart or brain tissue antigens. The study referenced in the paper, “Site-Specific Conjugation of Cell Wall Polyrhamnose to Protein SpyAD Envisioning a Safe Universal Group A Streptococcal Vaccine,” was carried out in collaboration with researchers at the Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Scien...