Vaccine against gum disease periodontitis (pyorrhea) is in clinical studies: CSL

A vaccine to effectively tackle severe gum disease periodontitis is currently in clinical studies.

The gum disease vaccine is being developed by CSL Limited, Australia’s leading biopharmaceutical company, in a new collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur.

CSL has signed an agreement with the world’s leading global manufacturer of vaccines. Sanofi Pasteur to fund a program in the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Healththe ( CRC) for the further development of a vaccine to prevent and treat the severe gum disease periodontitis caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis, CSL Ltd announced in a press statement.

The gum vaccine development program involves identifying the bacterial peptides and proteins that trigger the immune response, and using these as the basis of vaccines.

The lead vaccines are being trialled in mouse models of periodontal disease and following a positive response, a vaccine will progress to clinical trials.

Scientists from The University of Melbourne and CSL, in the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science have identified candidate vaccine antigens for periodontitis.

“It has taken over ten years to develop the vaccine to this stage,” said Dr Andrew Cuthbertson, CSL’s Chief Scientific Officer.

If the animal experiments program proves successful, Sanofi Pasteur has an option to an exclusive world-wide license to commercialise the intellectual property associated with these vaccines.

What is periodontitis?

Periodontitis also known as pyorrhea is the inflammation or infection of the gums (gingivitis). Infection and inflammation spreads from the gums (gingiva) to the ligaments and bone that support the teeth. Loss of support causes the teeth to become loose and eventually fall out. Periodontitis is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. This disorder is uncommon in childhood but increases during adolescence.

Plaque and tartar accumulate at the base of the teeth. Inflammation causes a pocket to develop between the gums and the teeth, which fills with plaque and tartar. Soft tissue swelling traps the plaque in the pocket.

Continued inflammation eventually causes destruction of the tissues and bone surrounding the tooth.

Because plaque contains bacteria, infection is likely and a tooth abscess may also develop, which increases the rate of bone destruction.

Symptoms of periodontitis include foul breath (halistosis), gums that appear bright red or red-purple, gums that appear shiny, gums that bleed easily (blood on toothbrush even with gentle brushing of the teeth), gums that are tender when touched but are painless otherwise, loose teeth, swollen gums etc.

Up to 30% of Australian adults suffer from the wide-spread gum disease.Periodontitis has also been linked with heart disease, stroke, adverse pregnancy outcomes, dementia and cancer.

Traditional treatment for the disease often involves scaling and cleaning, and even surgery in an effort to contain the bacterial infection. This new vaccine approach targets the ‘ring leader’ of a group of pathogenic bacteria that cause periodontitis, the bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis.

“We are very excited about this novel approach to the disease, “said Professor Reynolds. “It will provide dentists and patients with a specific treatment, which prevents disease progression, rather than managing its symptoms and damaging consequences,” stated Professor Eric Reynolds, AO, CEO of the CRC for Oral Health Science and the Head of The University of Melbourne’s Dental School.

The CSL Group major facilities in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and the US.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health is based at The University of Melbourne and collaborates with institutes and manufacturers from around the world. It is funded by the Federal Government’s CRC Program.

The University of Melbourne is one of Australia’s oldest universities and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2003. It is ranked among the top 100 research institutes worldwide. The University is renowned as Australia’s leading biomedical enterprise, training more health professionals, and attracting more nationally competitive grants for biomedical research than any other Australian university.