Group A Streptococcus vaccine
Intercell’s vaccine against infections caused by Group A Streptococcus is being developed in partnership with Merck & Co., Inc. The vaccine candidate, based on antigens discovered by Intercell, is currently undergoing pre-clinical development.
About Group A streptococcus, Streptococcus pyogenes
Group A streptococcus (GAS) is an important human pathogen which frequently colonizes the throats of healthy children. Occasionally, it causes infections which range from mild throat or skin infections to more severe illnesses as pharyngitis, respiratory infections, rheumatic fever, nephritis and skin and soft tissue infections. An important childhood manifestation of the disease is scarlet fever. GAS is usually transmitted from person to person through direct contact or inhalation of respiratory secretions.
The most common forms of GAS infection are sore throats (‘Strep throat’). In the United States, streptococcus-related pharyngitis is responsible for 10 million pediatric doctor visits per year and presents the leading cause of antibiotic treatment in children. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently more than 18 million cases of severe GAS disease, such as rheumatic heart disease, in the world, responsible for more than 500,000 deaths each year.
Current treatment and prevention
GAS infections are treated with antibiotics and the patients often have to undergo multiple cycles of antibiotic treatment, which has shown to contribute to antibiotic resistance of other human pathogenic bacteria.
Today there is no approved vaccine available for GAS. A new vaccine would not only help millions of infected patients, it would also decrease the use of antibiotics and lower the risk of antibiotics resistance. In addition, in the developing world, the vaccine would address a condition that is often untreated and which leads to major life-threatening complications.
Partners
- Merck & Co., Inc.