New delivery system hikes vaccine response

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've developed a delivery system that could lead to more efficient and more disease-specific vaccines.

University of Texas at Austin researchers said their procedure employs specific ribonucleic acid molecules to significantly bolster a vaccine's effectiveness while tailoring it based on the type of immune response that is most desirable for a particular disease.

The researchers, led by Associate Professor Krishnendu Roy, used a mouse model and discovered the new technique resulted in immune responses five to 50 times stronger than that seen using traditional vaccine delivery methods.

"What we've achieved is a delivery system that provides DNA-based vaccines along with RNA, which allows us to significantly enhance the immune response and drive them into a certain direction that is effective against the disease," said Roy.

Roy said the mouse studies will continue for four to five years and, if successful, testing could begin on primates and eventually on humans within six to 10 years.

The study that included Ankur Singh, Hui Nie and Bilal Ghosn, along with Hong Qin and Larry Kwak of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, appeared recently in the journal Molecular Therapy.