QLD 'kissing disease' vaccine on the way

Researchers at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research (QIMR) in Brisbane hope to begin human trials late this year of a vaccine that could prevent three different forms of cancer associated with infection by Epstein-Barr virus.

Dr Rajiv Khanna’s research group in the Clive Berghofer Cancer Research Centre at QIMR has just won a $400,000 grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue developing its prototype Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccine –- the first NIH grant for an EBV vaccine.

In Western nations, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is notorious as the agent of glandular fever or “kissing disease”. A member of the herpes virus family, it targets antibody-producing B-cells.

In Australia, glandular fever is almost a rite of passage among secondary and university students. Many recover rapidly, but some individuals develop chronic symptoms including fatigue and depression, that may persist for up to six months.

Danish researchers recently reported that young people with a history of glandular fever are at increased risk of Hodgkin’s disease, a form of lymphoma. About 50 per cent of Hodgkin’s disease is EBV-associated.

Hodgkins disease usually responds well to chemotherapy. Australia’s best known HD patient, pop star Delta Goodrem, is among those recovering after successful therapy.

But Khanna says 20 to 30 per cent of HD patients relapse, because of an inadequate immune response against EBV antigens. Their prognosis is usually poor, because their cancer no longer responds to standard radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

The new EBV vaccine could be a life-saver for relapsed patients. Kanna’s team recently reported in the Cancer Research that transgenic laboratory mice with a “humanised” immune system cleared their HD-like cancers after being immunised with the prototype EBV vaccine.

But the Australian-developed vaccine’s promise as a therapeutic for cancer is much broader.

In developing nations, chronic EBV infection can lead to two other, highly lethal forms of cancer. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in China and South-east Asia, while EBV-induced Burkitt’s lymphoma is common in African populations.