New research released on June 29 shows that the SchistoShield vaccine, developed by Afzal Siddiqui, Ph.D., at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, is capable of triggering and sustaining an immune response to schistosomiasis. Siddiqui said samples from people who received trial doses in both the United States and Africa now demonstrate the vaccine's effectiveness.
Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by a parasitic worm found in contaminated fresh water. The larvae penetrate human skin and develop into adults that produce eggs responsible for causing illness. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 250 million people carry schistosomiasis worldwide, with another 800 million at risk of infection. The disease is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and ranks second only to malaria among deadly tropical parasitic diseases.
Siddiqui serves as director of the TTUHSC Center for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and chair of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at TTUHSC School of Medicine. He has spent decades developing SchistoShield to prevent and treat schistosomiasis. Recent findings published in NPJ Vaccines state, "the SchistoShield vaccine induced robust cell-mediated effector and memory responses, hallmarks of a potentially efficacious vaccine against schistosome/helminth parasites."
"The people we have vaccinated, in both the U.S. and in Africa, have the memory response, both B-cell and T-cell-based," Siddiqui said. "The vaccine is doing what it is supposed to. But always remember that these trials are very small—50 to 100 people. Now it has to go to thousands of people. So that's where we are moving into."
Schistosomiasis remains classified as a neglected disease because it primarily affects impoverished communities in tropical regions with limited access to healthcare resources. Currently, there is only one drug available for treatment, which does not prevent re-infection.
Siddiqui said his work on SchistoShield was made possible through support from TTUHSC as well as federal grants and contributions from national and international charitable organizations.
