A vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Georgia has successfully protected against vaginal yeast infections in mice, marking a significant step towards preventing fatal fungal infections. The vaccine, named NXT-2, aims to fill the gap in treatment for fungal infections, which are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to rising drug resistance.
Fungal infections, caused by pathogens such as candida fungus, affect hundreds of millions of women globally and cost billions of dollars in healthcare visits and lost productivity each year. The current treatment protocol relies on a single class of medication, increasing the likelihood of resistance and making it harder to treat future infections.
The NXT-2 vaccine has shown broad, cross-protective antifungal immunity in multiple animal models, paving the way for clinical trials. The first trial will focus on women with recurrent yeast infections, while later trials will target life-threatening fungal infections such as pulmonary aspergillosis.
“We can’t just keep trying to make new drugs to fight fungal infections because we’re going to lose,” said Karen Norris, lead author of the study and CEO of NXT Biologics. “We need a vaccine that prevents fungal infections before they happen.”
The researchers believe the vaccine will do the most good in people who are at high risk for highly dangerous, life-threatening infections, such as transplant recipients and cancer patients. With rising drug resistance and increasing difficulty in treating fungal infections, prevention becomes critical.
This breakthrough vaccine is the first to show broad, cross-protective antifungal immunity in multiple animal models, offering hope for a more effective treatment for fungal infections.
Source: https://news.uga.edu/new-fungal-vaccine