The Junin virus is the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF), which is an acute viral disease. AHF has recently achieved worldwide attention due to the potential risks that it poses to public health. Our company is at the forefront of AHF vaccine and therapeutic development, providing cutting-edge services and advancing scientific knowledge to help pharmaceutical companies develop solutions.
Overview of Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever
Argentine hemorrhagic fever is also colloquially referred to as O'Higgins disease and in Argentina as mal de los rastrojos (stubble disease) is an acute illness caused by the Junin virus which is a type of arenaviruses only endemic in rural parts of Argentina. Like its Juno virus counterpart, this virus goes under two other names, AHF and O'Higgins disease, and has a mortality rate of 15-30%, muscle pain, and fever as its notable constituents. Due to the ease of transmission of the virus by rodents,this poses as a public health initiative as both children and adult groups are primarily affected.
Fig.1 Reactivity and binding mode of the JUNV-specific neutralizing antibody, OD01. (Zeltina A., et al., 2017)
Vaccine Development for Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever
Live Attenuated Vaccines
The live vaccine categorized as Candid#1 is AHF's notable vaccine which has been demonstrated to evoke protective immune responses against JUNV infection. It is worth mentioning that Candid#1 is already being used in vaccination campaigns aimed at preventing the outbreaks in the endemic areas after conducting multiple clinical trials. Considering the success of Candid#1, the potential of live vaccines as a means of controlling AHF and other arenavirus diseases is substantial.
Inactivated Vaccines
Aside from live attenuated vaccines, there are studies being conducted to formulate inactivated vaccines which provide immunity without the dangers associated with live pathogens. These inactivated vaccines often contain non-infectious JUNV particles with immunogenic properties which are safe for use and stimulate an immune response. Such developments are important to people who are immunocompromised or at an increased possibility of attaining severe disease.
Therapeutics Development for Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever
Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are promising therapeutic agents. As for Chimeric mAb cJ199, mAb hu199 yielded a very high efficiency in the guinea pig and nonhuman primate models of AHF. It is concerned with targeting JUNV GP1 glycoprotein which is responsible for binding to the host transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1), and may also be used as post-exposure medications.
Antiviral Drugs
Research has been conducted on small molecules antiviral like ribavirin to evaluate its efficiency against AHF. It has been reported in some studies that ribavirin therapeutic can decrease the viral load and reduce the severity of the disease; however, the overall efficacy of ribavirin in treatment of AHF remains limited. More research is necessary on ribavirin usage for AHF therapeutics to better comprehend its potential pros and cons.
Our Services
Our team of specialists offers comprehensive assistance with vaccine development, which includes the designing, manufacturing and pre-clinical testing processes. Furthermore, due to our strong comprehension of AHF pathogenesis, we cater to your need by offering sophisticated AHF therapy development service.
- Guinea Pig Models
- Interferon Alpha/beta Receptor (IFNAR) Knockout Mouse Models
- STAT1Knockout Mouse Models
Route of infections: intraperitoneal (IP), intramuscular (IM), or subcutaneous (SC)
Preclinical research is a cornerstone of our development services, providing the necessary data to support the advancement of vaccines and therapies into clinical trials. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.
References
- Zeltina, Antra, et al. "Convergent immunological solutions to Argentine hemorrhagic fever virus neutralization." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.27 (2017): 7031-7036.
- Manning, John T., et al. "Absence of an n-linked glycosylation motif in the glycoprotein of the live-attenuated argentine hemorrhagic fever vaccine, candid# 1, results in its improper processing, and reduced surface expression." Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 7 (2017): 20.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
