Israel develops world's first mRNA vaccine against drug-resistant bacteria

According to a VNA correspondent in Israel, scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute for Biological Research at Ness Ziona have applied the mRNA vaccine platform, which is used to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, to create the world's first mRNA vaccine capable of fighting an extremely dangerous type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In this groundbreaking study, the team tested the vaccine against a dangerous pathogen and demonstrated that it protected 100% of test animals from infection.

Scientists hope the technology will pave the way for the prevention of many other deadly bacteria.

The research was led by Professor Dan Peer, Vice President for Research and Development at Tel Aviv University, a global pioneer in mRNA drug development and Director of the Precision Nanomedicine Laboratory at the Shmunis School of Biomedical and Cancer Research.

He collaborated with researchers from the Israel Institute for Biological Research.

The new vaccine is an mRNA vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles, similar to the COVID-19 vaccine. However, while mRNA vaccines are typically effective against viruses like SARS-CoV-2, using the technology against bacteria — like the one that causes the plague — is unprecedented.

“Viruses rely on host cells to survive and replicate,” explains Dr. Uri Elia. “They enter cells with a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that contains instructions for making viral proteins, and then ‘use’ the cell as a factory to replicate themselves. In mRNA vaccines, this molecule is synthesized and encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles that mimic human cell membranes. The nanoparticles fuse with the cell, the cell produces viral proteins, and the immune system learns to recognize and protect the body from the real virus. Bacteria, however, are completely different: They produce their own proteins and do not rely on human cells. Furthermore, due to different evolutionary processes, bacterial proteins are very different from human proteins.”

In 2023, the team developed a unique method to produce bacterial proteins in human cells in a way that the immune system recognizes as real bacterial proteins, thereby triggering a defense mechanism. Scientists demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to develop an effective mRNA vaccine against bacteria.

They chose Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, a disease that has caused many deadly pandemics in human history. In animal models, just one dose of the vaccine provided significant protection.

“In our previous work, we developed a vaccine for the skin-transmitted form of the plague, such as through a flea bite,” says Professor Dan Peer. “But in this work, we aimed at a more ambitious target: pneumonic plague – the form that can be transmitted from person to person and causes respiratory illness, which makes vaccine development particularly challenging. So we used two proteins – two antigens – to create a vaccine. In testing in different animal models, we achieved 100% protection with just two doses of the vaccine: no animals got infected. This opens up the potential for a whole ecosystem of mRNA vaccines against many other deadly bacteria.”

The study was published on the cover of the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/israel-phat-trien-vaccine-mrna-dau-tien-tren-the-gioi-chong-vi-khuyen-khang-thuoc-post1048838.vnp