Celiac.com 07/19/2016 - The world's first vaccine aimed at curing celiac disease is slated to begin full trials later this year, and residents of the Australian state of Victoria will be among the first humans to give it a try against celiac disease.
The vaccine, called Nexvax2, was developed by Australian scientist Dr Bob Anderson, and is aimed at giving celiac patients a chance to overcome their immune reaction to the gluten found in products containing wheat, rye and barley. Nexvax2 aims to de-sensitise patients to three peptides contained in gluten that trigger a damaging reaction in their immune system.
Previous trials on 150 patients from Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Auckland were aimed at finding a safe dosage rather than assessing its ability to beat celiac disease. Results from those favorable earlier trials were released in May, and Dr Anderson says that the larger phase II study, also being undertaken in the US and Europe, will assess how well the vaccine works against celiac disease.Dr Anderson first identified the peptides triggering coeliac disease and began developing the vaccine while working at Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, before travelling to Boston for six weeks as part of a sister city arrangement through the City of Melbourne, where he made contact with ImmusanT to further the discovery.
This is certainly exciting news for people with celiac disease, many of whom may benefit from such treatment.
Stay tuned for news on the progress of these trials.
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