Hepatitis B 'nanovaccine' is developed

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say a new "nanovaccine" for hepatitis B that shows promise for use in the developing world has moved closer to human trials.

University of Michigan researchers said the new nanoemulsion eliminates three major problems associated with current vaccines -- the need for refrigeration, difficulty in maintaining needle and syringe sterility and the need for people to return for the three-shot regimen.

Although there are three effective vaccines available, hepatitis B infects 400 million people worldwide, many of them children in Africa, Asia and South America.

But researchers at the University of Michigan's Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences at the University of Michigan say their new, needle-free method avoids all three drawbacks and animal tests indicate it provides non-toxic and strong, sustained immune responses.

"Our results indicate needle-free nasal immunization, using a combination of nanoemulsion and hepatitis B antigen, could be a safe and effective hepatitis B vaccine, and also provide an alternative booster method for existing vaccines," said Dr. James Baker Jr., the study's senior author.

Baker said researchers hope the first human trial can begin within a year.

The study is reported in the online journal PLoS One.