Researchers at Tulane have taken the lead in developing a vaccine to protect against a little-known, yet potentially deadly tropical disease. Dr. Lisa Morici with the Tulane University School of Medicine says after ten years of development, she and her team have taken their Melioidosis vaccine from discovery through pre-clinical testing to GMP manufacturing of drug substance.
“We are ready to move the vaccine into human clinical trials. We hope to do that very soon with our collaborators, perhaps in Europe,” Morici said.
Dr. Morici says while it is little-known, Melioidosis could have an impact locally.
“It’s really present in all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, including the U.S. Gulf Coast,” Morici noted.
Melioidosis is sometimes known as the great mimicker, since it can look like a lot of different illnesses. Morici says it can infect any part of the body, especially the lungs and the blood stream – and the effects could be dire.
“If it’s not diagnosed quickly and properly, it can be mistaken for other diseases and not treated properly. And in those circumstances, it can have a very high fatality rate,” Morici explained.
Morici and her team’s findings are published in the journal “Nature Communications.”