UQ team to test therapeutic HPV vaccine

A research team at the University of Queensland, headed by Prof Ian Frazer, is said to have developed a new, therapeutic vaccine for genital warts, and is about to begin phase II trials in Australia and China.

Frazer's research group at the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research (CICR) has 'tweaked' two antigen components of in the original vaccine to target HPV6 and HPV11, the main agents of visible genital warts.

Frazer's original prophylactic vaccine, now being developed my Merck & Co and CSL, was designed to induce strong antibody-mediated immunity against the four primary strains of HPV that cause genital warts, to protect females who are not yet sexually active against HPV infection and cervical cancer.

But like most vaccines, the new HPV prophylactic vaccine, CICRVAX6, does not elicit cytotoxic T-cell immunity, which is essential to eliminate already-infected cells, so it cannot be used to cure established cases of genital warts.

The virus is transmitted through skin contact, and the only current treatment for the warts is to burn them off with chemicals, freeze them off, or remove them surgically.

CICR business manager Anton Sanker said such procedures are costly, and invasive for females, who can develop internal genital warts on the mouth of the cervix.

Frazer's original vaccine primarily targets the two main virus strains responsible for most cervical cancer, HPV16 and HPV18. While HPV6 and HPV11 are the major cause of visible genital warts, they account for only a small percentage of cervical cancers.

"We're fairly optimistic about the chances that this new vaccine will protect against HPV6 and HPV11, and if the trials go well, we're optimistic it will work for HPV16 and HPV18 as well," Frazer said.

He said that if the trial was successful, the next step might be to combine the two vaccines into one, to prevent and eliminate genital warts, and prevent cancer.

The trials will be conducted in Brisbane at Princess Alexandra Hospital Sexual Health, and in China at Wenzhou Medical College, the CICR's research partner. The Brisbane trial aims to recruit 120 men and 120 women aged 18 to 65, with recurrent genital warts.

The 18-month trial will be launched in conjunction with Wartfest, an annual expo featuring new developments and treatments for warts, HPV and cancer.