New Hepatitis-C Vaccine Candidate

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics on January 11, 2006

Based from in vitro experiments, researchers from University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) may have discovered a potential candidate for Hepatitis-C vaccine. They were able to show that, in mice, the vaccine candidate works on the host's dendritic cells, which subsequently stimulate the host's immune response against Hepatitis-C virus.

Dendritic cells are key components of the immune system, activating and shaping the immune response. "The vaccine reduced the amount of hepatitis c protein in a highly significant manner," he said. "This offers a very
promising approach to prevent liver disease caused by the virus and to
ultimately eliminate it from the body."

Their findings are published in this month's issue of Journal of General Virology.

Source: University of Saskatchewan