Melbourne Scientists Publish Research On Therapeutic Dental Vaccine

A release on EurekAlert (12/4) states a team of dental scientists at the Oral Health CRC at the University of Melbourne has developed a vaccine that “could eliminate or at least reduce the need for surgery and antibiotics for severe gum disease.” The vaccine “targets enzymes produced by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis, to trigger an immune response,” which then “produces antibodies that neutralise the pathogen’s destructive toxins.” According to the release, the vaccine has been validated by research published in the journal NPJ Vaccines, and clinical trials could begin in 2018.