Research on vaccine against black disease

A researcher from Central Florida University recently discovered a way to prevent Black Plague - a disease that eradicated part of the European population in the Middle Ages. The disease is also regarded by government agencies as a terrorist threat today.

The University of Central Floria professor Henry Daniell and his team have recently developed a vaccine that early research found highly effective for epidemics. His research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and USDA. The results are published in the August issue of Infection and Immunity. Vaccines can be taken orally. It was tested with mice at Central Florida University. Scientists measure its use by identifying antibodies that form in the blood.

All mice that were not vaccinated died within 3 days while mice vaccinated by oral vaccine found no trace of pathogens in the body . Mice were exposed to high doses of the bacterium Yersinia Pestis - the cause of the pathogen - at the US Institute of Medicine for Infectious Diseases in Maryland. This is one of the few laboratories in the world that has the right to store and test high-risk pathogens.

Daniell said: 'We are very excited because the vaccine is even more effective than the normal vaccination. Indeed there is a clear difference between the two types' . When attacked by biological pathogens, oral vaccines are more appropriate due to faster drug distribution; It is even more effective because it does not require any specific skills or sterile needles to be inserted into the body.

Daniell added: 'It works very well. Vaccine production is also better. But the vaccine is quite cheap. You only need to make devices and then convert them into tablets' . The deadly pathogen in Europe in the beginning, it also continues to be present today in places like Africa and Asia. The World Health Organization announces that there are at least 2000 cases of illness each year. The latest outbreak in 2005 took the lives of 56 people in Congo and 124 others infected before the epidemic was prevented. In the mid-1990s, over 400 people were infected in India.

Microscopic image of Yersinia pestis, 98x zoom.( Photo: CDC / Dr. James Feeley)

Although it is necessary to carry out human trials, Daniell is confident that vaccines can be used for both pneumonia and animal-based plague. Sprouting pneumonia spread through the air. If left untreated, the patient will die within a few days. The plague is more common and is transmitted through fleas.The disease causes 70% of people to die from 4 to 7 days without treatment . This number is the event that has devastated Europe in the past. If the research results are correct, the new vaccine may act as a protective barrier to natural diseases as well as human-induced threats.

The Centers for Disease Control lists the pathogen of pneumonia as a potential bioterrorism agent due to its rate of transmission as well as the mortality rate of up to 60% if patients are not treated early with antibiotics. strong.

Daniell was inspired by the study of oral vaccine to prevent the disease due to his previous research on diabetes. He and his team genetically engineered tobacco and lettuce plants with insulin genes, then introduced chilled and dried plant cells to 5-day-old diabetic mice for 8 weeks. At the end of the study, diabetic rats had normal levels of sugar in their urine and blood. Its cells also produce insulin at a normal level.

Daniell has found a similar method to vaccines. He genetically modified plant cells with a protein discovered outside Yersinia pestis. Vaccines inside plant cells are introduced into mice. The protected vaccine is not digested in the stomach and then absorbed in the intestine. It stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against deadly disease. It takes only 3 to 5 doses to be effective.

Daniell was born and raised in India. He has devoted his life to seeking remedies for raging diseases in poor countries. He is conducting research with 7 of the top 10 diseases as assessed by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. These diseases are still a concern in developing countries.

Daniell said: 'I have seen demand. There may be other costly treatments. But they are too expensive for developing countries. I want to help change this . ' Daniell was the first person in Central Florida University's Life Sciences Board. He began teaching at Central Florida University in 1998. His research contributed to the creation of the first biotechnology company at Central Florida University, which was included as a Chlorogen to develop chloroplast genetic engineering technology. have a commercial patent. In 2004, he won the Pegasus Professor Award from Central Florida University - a noble award awarded to members of the school for excellence in teaching, research and service. Daniell also became the only American to live 222 years and was appointed to the Italian National Academy of Sciences. He is the 14th person appointed to this agency. In 2007, he was appointed a member of the director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.