Japan Moves Closer To Nipah Protection With First Human Vaccine Trial In April

Japan has announced a clinical trial to confirm a vaccine's efficacy against the deadly Nipah virus in humans. The University of Tokyo has developed the trial vaccine and researchers are now set to start clinical trials in Belgium in April, Nikkei Asia, a Japan-based English-language news magazine, reported.

Nipah has a fatality rate between 40 and 75 per cent. Till now, there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Nipah virus infection. The Nipah vaccine breakthrough is significant as West Bengal reported two confirmed cases of Nipah virus.

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How Is The Vaccine Being Developed?

For the new vaccine, Nipah virus's genetic information is being inserted into the measles virus.

“When the vaccine is introduced in humans, antigen proteins similar to those of the Nipah virus are produced. The immune system's response is seen strengthening the body's defenses, helping to prevent the onset of symptoms,” the report said.

“The modified measles virus, widely used globally for measles vaccines,” it added.

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To confirm the vaccine's safety in humans, the Phase 1 clinical trial will involve 60 subjects.
Separately, a team from Oxford University began Phase 2 clinical trials with a Nipah vaccine candidate in Bangladesh in December. About 300 people aged 18 to 55 are expected to participate.

(With IANS Inputs)