A new clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun enrolling participants to test a candidate vaccine for Lassa fever. The trial aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of three different concentrations of the vaccine candidate, known as LASSARAB, which combines a weakened rabies vaccine with a modified Lassa virus surface protein.
Lassa fever is a deadly viral hemorrhagic disease that causes permanent hearing loss in up to one-third of those who contract it. The virus is spread by rodents and can also be transmitted from person to person. Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines available for Lassa fever.
The trial will enroll 55 healthy adults aged 18-50 to receive two injections of either the vaccine candidate or a control rabies vaccine. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University developed the LASSARAB vaccine in collaboration with NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Previous research has shown that two doses of the vaccine can protect nonhuman primates from fatal Lassa virus exposure six weeks after vaccination. If successful, the LASSARAB vaccine could prevent both Lassa fever and rabies pending further testing and FDA approval.
More information about the trial is available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06546709).
Source: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-sponsored-trial-lassa-vaccine-opens