For millennia, leprosy inflicted through Mycobacterium leprae has been widely affecting the humankind, however with the amalgamation of never seen before leprosy vaccines and therapies, our company is rooted in extending more diversified solutions to the clientele.
Overview of Leprosy
Leprosy, more commonly referred to as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection that can take anywhere from 2-10 years to show manifestations. Moreover, the time frame can extend even more. The infection itself is quite intricate as it impacts the skin, eye, respiratory tract, and most devastatingly the peripheral nerves which harms the nerves, weakens the muscles, and muddles vision. If not treated, this infection could cause lifelong social stigma along with great disabilities. Even though there is some progress made in reducing the effects of this infection, leprosy very much is still a public health issue across the globe.
Fig.1 Interaction between M. leprae and Schwann cells. (Chaves L. L., et al., 2020)
Vaccine Development for Leprosy
Historical Vaccines
The variability of the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine in leprosy prevention has some parallels to its original usage against tuberculosis. It is suggested that alongside the vaccine protective effect which spans in between 20% and 80%, genetic and environmental factors on their own also contribute to the extent the vaccine proves to be effective.
Modern Vaccine Strategies
New approaches in vaccinology have focused on recombinant BCG vaccines and subunit vaccines. Such methods intend to focus on specific antigens to improve the immune response against M. leprae. For example, the LepVax vaccine, which incorporates four M. leprae antigens, displays good preclinical and Phase 1a clinical safety, efficacy and immunogenicity.
Therapeutics Development for Leprosy
Multidrug Therapies
According to the World Health Organization who first introduced Multidrug therapy in 1981 which combines the use of rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine, this combination has been known to be very effective as it lowers the relapse rate as well as the chances of drug resistance developing altogether.
Current Therapies
Leprosy therapeutics includes: paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB). PB leprosy uses the combination of rifampicin and dapsone while due to the severity of the MB leprosy the treatment needs to be supplemented by clofazimine.
Emerging Therapeutics
The ongoing inadequacies in contemporary drug and therapeutic avenues have stimulated researchers to actively pursue their designation. Research continues to pursue new avenues. For instance monoclonal antibodies directed against M. leprae antigens, as well as pcr-based diagnostic techniques for earlier stages of the disease are yet to be. This is intended to mitigate the severe sequelae of the disease.
Our Services
Our firm is invested in ending leprosy in all its forms through our range of development services for new therapies and vaccines. As experts in the pharmaceutical field, our team is well versed in understanding and implementing modern technology into combating leprosy through novel approaches such as targeted drug and vaccine formulation.
Disease Models
- Nude Mouse Models
- Beige Mouse Models
- Thymectomise -irradiated Mouse Models
- Neonatally Thymectomised Lewis Rat (NTLR) Models
- Non-human Primate Models
Preclinical Research
- Drug Safety Evaluation
- In Vivo Pharmacokinetics Study
- In Vitro Pharmacokinetics Study
- Activity Testing
- Drug Resistance Evaluation
We combine our thorough scientific knowledge, modern facilities and great industry experience in such a way that makes us competent to assist clients with expediting the development of groundbreaking leprosy vaccine and therapies. If this is of interest to you please do not hesitate to contact us to seek more details and get an in-depth quote for the required services.
References
- Chaves Luíse L., et al. "Drug delivery systems on leprosy therapy: moving towards eradication?." Pharmaceutics 12.12 (2020): 1202.
- Ali, Lasida. "Leprosy vaccines–a voyage unfinished." Journal of Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases 3.1 (2021): 40-45.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
