Because of its potential to wreak havoc on public health systems and strain political priorities, poliomyelitis has appeared multiple times throughout history and continues to be a key disease of focus at WHO. Our steadfast dedication to research and development drives our mission to combat polio, as we strive to progress in the development of impactful solutions for vaccines and therapeutics.
Introduction to Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, or polio is an acute epidemic and infectious disease caused by a virus and can be found mainly in children under the age of 5 years. Its causitive agent is the poliovirus, which belongs to Picornaviridae. This group of viruses is capable of infecting the nervous system, which can lead to paralysis of varying severity. Poliomyelitis is transmitted via fecal-oral intercourse. Once inside the body, the virus begins itself in the intestines, where the some of it might gain access to the nervous system.
Fig.1 Timeline of major events on the journey to the certification of Africa as polio-free. (Mohammed A., et al., 2021)
Vaccine Development for Poliomyelitis
Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
The IPV is an effective orally administered polio vaccine which consists of inactivated strains of polioviruses. IPV has contributed significantly towards the globalization reduction of underlying issues which cause polio menace. Now, immune response is achieved to prevent the VAPP (vaccine associated polio paralysis), an unusual side effect that polio vaccine via oral means can bring about.
In OPV, the virus is active but weakened. The poliovirus strains used in OPV are designed to provide immunity against poliomyelitis while having the ability to replicate specifically in the intestinal area. OPV has remarkably contributed to eradication campaigns, however, due to the possibility of reverting to a more active variant and causing cVDPVs, it has been discontinued in several regions of the world.
Novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 (nOPV2)
The development of nOPV2 marks a major improvement in the technology used for polio vaccines. nOPV2 is a new genetically modified vaccine which has been altered not to revert back to the neurovirulent form, but still is capable of providing adequate immunogenic responses like the sabin strain. With the deployment of nOPV2, polio outbreak has been significantly controlled and continues to be an example of innovation in vaccinology.
Therapeutics Development for Poliomyelitis
Antiviral Therapies
As a result of extensive research, antiviral drugs have been developed that target the Poliovirus. Some of the antiviral drug types that are being targeted are capsid inhibitors, protease inhibitors, and replication inhibitors. These drugs concentrate on various cycles of the life of a virus in an aim to cease replication and transmission of the virus.
Immunotherapies
Immunotherapies, including intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) therapy, have proven beneficial in addressing post-polio syndrome (PPS). IVIg formulations are derived from human plasma which contains high concentrations of antibodies that neutralize antibodies and block the poliovirus, hence alleviating the severity of symptoms in afflicted individuals.
Our Services
As a versatile company that develops vaccines and therapeutics aimed at the prevention of poliomyelitis, we comprehensively offer the following services:
- Poliomyelitis Vaccine Development: We manage the complete processes involved in the creation of inactivated and oral polio vaccines, including selection of the virus strains, optimization of the cell lines, formulation, and pre-clinical studies on the stability of the finished product.
- Poliomyelitis Antiviral Drug Discovery: Using the power of bioinformatics, we focus on drug repositioning of existing small molecules with known safety profiles to discover novel compounds to prevent poliomyelitis infection. Candidate molecules undergo high-throughput screening followed by the necessary refinements in in vitro and in vivo models to obtain safe and efficacious antiviral drugs.
Preclinical Research
- Pharmacodynamics Study Services
- Pharmacokinetics Study Services
- Drug Safety Evaluation Services
Disease Models
- Transgenic (Tg) mice expressing the human poliovirus receptor (PVR) gene
- Mice with specific genes knocked out to increase susceptibility to poliovirus infection
- Mice with PVR expression regulated under specific promoters for specific cell types or tissues
We offer a suite of preclinical research services to support the development of polio vaccines and therapeutics. Our capabilities include in-vitro assays, animal models, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies, and safety assessments to ensure the advancement of safe and effective products. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.
References
- Mohammed, Abdulaziz, Oyewale Tomori, and John N. Nkengasong. "Lessons from the elimination of poliomyelitis in Africa." Nature Reviews Immunology 21.12 (2021): 823-828.
- Bandyopadhyay, Ananda S., and Simona Zipursky. "A novel tool to eradicate an ancient scourge: the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 story." The Lancet Infectious Diseases 23.2 (2023): e67-e71.
- Te Yeh, Ming, et al. "Engineering the live-attenuated polio vaccine to prevent reversion to virulence." Cell host & microbe 27.5 (2020): 736-751.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
