Attenuation strategies for live rabies vaccine 

Rabies is usually fatal in people once symptoms appear. University of Melbourne researchers have identified a strategy for a safe live rabies vaccine that is able to overcome the limitations of inactivated vaccines. Partner with us to accelerate the development of therapeutic or prophylactic rabies vaccines. 

The innovation

Researchers have identified a combination of site-specific mutations to a protein in the rabies-causing lyssavirus. These mutations can significantly attenuate the pathogenic virus and ablate the activity of a protein in facilitating viral evasion of the host immune response. The result is a viable vaccine strain that is safe and protective in vivo.

Market need

Nearly 59,000 people die of rabies worldwide each year. There is no cure. However, rabies is vaccine preventable – the mass vaccination of domestic animals has been effective in reducing human rabies.

But inactivated rabies vaccines are difficult to manufacture and store, have low immunogenicity and require multiple injections. Live vaccines can overcome these limitations.

Innovation status

Novel mutations identified by University of Melbourne researchers can be used independently or combined with other attenuating mutations. This creates an opportunity for a ‘best in class’ live vaccine with safety and immunogenicity profile that is not provided by the current rabies virus vaccines on the market.

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