New-Generation Vaccine for HPV

(China Daily, January 07, 2019)

So far, more than 200 distinct HPV types have been identified, of which at least 18 are high-risk types associated with 99% of cervical cancers, the second-most-common cancer among women, after breast cancer. The Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine, which is currently available, provides the broadest protection against infection from nine HPV types, seven of which can cause 90% of cervical cancers. To expand type coverage, the approach used in previous vaccines was to increase the number of virus-like particles. One particle resembles one HPV type, and it can elicit immunity to that type. The more particles a vaccine has, the broader the protection it provides. However, this approach is fraught with difficulties, causing side effects (pain, swelling, fever) and raising manufacturing complexity and production costs. Researchers at Xiamen University have now developed a new vaccine candidate that can protect against more HPV types with fewer particles.