HONG KONG/LEIPZIG, Germany: Scientists from the University of Melbourne, Australia, have announced to have partnered with CSl Limited and Sanofi Pasteur, the countries largest biopharmaceutical companies, to further develop and commercialise a vaccine for the treatment of gum disease. The programme which took 10 years in development, involves bacterial peptides and proteins that trigger the immune response to periodontal inflammation. The vaccine is currently trialled in mouse models and expected to progress to clinical trials soon, the researchers said.

The new vaccine approach is targeting the ‘ring leader’ of a group of pathogenic bacteria called P. gingivalis that cause periodontitis. According to a US-based P. gingivalis research consortium, elevated levels of the organism were found in the majority of periodontal lesions, as well as in low levels in healthy sites. In addition, the organism also produces a number of enzymes that have been shown to interact with and degrade host proteins.

Although the bacterium can be eliminated through periodontal therapy, it is often found in recurrent infections.

“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,” says Professor Eric Reynolds, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science and the Head of The University of Melbourne’s Dental School. “This new approach will provide dentists and patients with a specific treatment.”

Traditional periodontal therapy involves manual scaling and cleaning, and even surgery with instruments or dental lasers in an effort to contain the bacterial infection. Reynold said their new line of vaccine products will possibly prevent the progression of the disease, rather than managing its symptoms and damaging consequences.

Sanofi Pasteur has an option to an exclusive world-wide license to commercialise the intellectual property associated with these products.