Trialling a vaccine to defeat Strep A

Thanks to a game-changing discovery, a team of international researchers from Griffith University and the University of Alberta are one step closer to eliminating Strep A—and will soon begin human clinical trials of their newly developed vaccine.

Strep A is a leading cause of infection-related death across the world, killing more than 500,000 people every year. While most cases of Strep A are mild or even asymptomatic, the bacterial infection can also result in a host of serious conditions. These include rheumatic heart disease, necrotising fasciitis, toxic shock syndrome and kidney disease. Children and the elderly are at particularly high risk, as well as those with pre-existing health issues.

In Canada, invasive streptococcal disease is a significant cause of premature mortality among First Nations people, while in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer the highest rate of rheumatic heart disease in the world.

The groundbreaking vaccine was created after Griffith researchers identified two small molecules, known as epitopes, that are present on every Streptococcus A strain. By combining these molecules, they were able to create a vaccine candidate capable of enhancing the body’s natural immune response, making it strong enough to fight off even the most virulent strains of the bacteria.

The lead researcher, Professor Michael Good AO from Griffith’s Institute for Glycomics, said that previous Strep A vaccine research had been hampered by the enormous diversity of the pathogen. ‘This is because there are multiple strains and it is a highly virulent organism that subverts immunity,’ he said. ‘This [discovery] gives us a novel strategy to finally make a successful vaccine to protect against multiple Strep A strains.’

The trial began at the University of Alberta on 21 November 2022 and, if successful, could lead to the vaccine being made available to children and high-risk patients in as little as five years.

Professor Mark von Itzstein AO, director at the Institute for Glycomics said he was delighted at Griffith’s role in developing this important, life-saving vaccine candidate—all the way from initial discovery to human clinical trials.

‘It’s a great example of the Institute’s translational output and what we hope will be the world’s first vaccine to market for prevention of diseases caused by Strep infection.’