Inactivated rabies-based Lassa fever virus vaccine candidate LASSARAB protects nonhuman primates from lethal disease

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-024-00930-z?utm_campaign=+61769915&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= NIAID-funded researchers have developed a vaccine against Lassa fever virus (LASV) using an inactivated rabies virus-based vaccine that includes a LASV protein. The vaccine, LASSARAB, was effective in nonhuman primates given a two-dose regimen and is a good candidate for clinical trials, according to authors of a study published in npj Vaccines. The rabies virus platform is well-suited to the hot African climate where LASV is endemic. There are no FDA-licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics for Lassa fever. LASV, spread by rodents, infects an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people annually, with an overall case fatality rate of between 1 and 2%. For patients needing hospital care, however, the fatality rate increases significantly – as high as 69% in one study from Sierra Leone. Lassa fever starts with flu-like symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, and headache. In severe cases, disease can cause internal bleeding and organ failure. Scientists at Thomas Jefferson University and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases led the work.