ImmusanT begins limited production of celiac vaccine in Massachusetts
Almost a year ago, we wrote about a promising new vaccine against celiac disease Nexvax2®, in development in Massachusetts. Now, the company behind the vaccine, ImmusanT, has even more exciting news:
They are manufacturing 9,000 doses of vaccine.
According to this article on MassLive.com, the vaccine will be produced by a local firm, Microtest.
I suspect the vaccine-manufacturing facility does not look like this.
Of the 9,000 doses, a third will be placebos and the remaining 6,000 will be fully-functioning vaccine. ImmusanT plans to use the doses for clinical trials, a crucial step in bringing the drug to market.
The article goes on to discuss ImmusanT CEO Leslie J. Williams’ plans, which include beginning clinical trials within the next few months and — assuming the vaccine operates as expected — making it available to the public in 2017.
Unlike a traditional vaccine, which prevents people from getting sick by giving the body a chance to build up antibodies to the disease in question, Nexvax2® would be administered to people who already have celiac disease. It would, over time, change the immune system so that gluten is no longer recognized as an enemy. In essence, it would desensitize the immune system to gluten, rendering the substances nontoxic.
To read more about the vaccine, have a look at ImmusanT’s website.
What do you think? Would you take a vaccine for your celiac disease?