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A vaccine to treat gum disease is under development in Australia

Australian biopharmaceutical company CSL Ltd., is working in collaboration with global vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, to develop a vaccine that will treat severe gum disease.

Up to 30% of adults suffer from the wide-spread gum disease or periodontitis . Left untreated gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss, but the condition has also been linked with heart disease, stroke, adverse pregnancy outcomes, dementia and cancer.

Following more than ten years of research, scientists from The University of Melbourne and CSL have identified candidate vaccine antigens for periodontitis.

“Periodontitis is a serious disease and dentists face a major challenge in treating it, because most people will not know they have the disease until it’s too late and the infection has progressed to advanced stages” said Professor Eric Reynolds, Head of The University of Melbourne’s Dental School.

Traditional treatment for the disease often involves scaling, cleaning, and even surgery in an effort to contain the spread of this bacterial infection. The new vaccine works by ‘targeting’ the bacterium Porphyromonas Gingivalis, one of the most aggressive from a group of pathogenic bacteria that cause periodontitis. 

“We are very excited about this novel approach to the disease, “ said Professor Reynolds. “It will provide dentists and patients with a specific treatment, which prevents disease progression, rather than managing its symptoms and damaging consequences.”

The vaccines are currently being trialled in mouse models of periodontal disease and following a positive response, the vaccine will progress to clinical trials in humans.

 

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