• OVPR

    The Office of the Vice President for Research facilitates collaborative research opportunities, streamlines related policies and procedures, and acts as a unified voice for U of I research.

  • Innovations

    The University of Illinois leverages its technologies and intellectual properties to benefit society, support the growth and development of the Illinois and U.S. economies, and strengthen the University’s education and research programs.

  • UIUC OTM

    The Office of Technology Management at Urbana-Champaign is responsible for managing the intellectual property generated by research and educational activities at the University.

  • UIC Research Center

    Supplies a fully-equipped infrastructure and access to University resources, internship programs, world-class talent, and custom-designed business development services.

  • UI Research Park

    Provides an ideal environment for starting a high-growth technology venture, with wet-chemistry labs, office space, an array of shared equipment, server co-location facilities, and conference rooms.

  • IllinoisVENTURES

    IllinoisVENTURES is a seed and early-stage technology investment firm focused on research-derived companies in information technologies, physical sciences and life sciences, with a particular emphasis on those deriving from research conducted at the University of Illinois and other regional research institutions and federal laboratories.

Office of Technology Management, Chicago

Lymphatic Filariasis Vaccine

Therapeutic
Vaccines

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), commonly known as elephantiasis, is a painful and profoundly disfiguring disease. LF is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms that is transmitted through mosquitoes. Approximately 1.3 billion people, primarily long term residents of tropical or sub-tropical areas, are at risk of contracting LF. Although the ongoing World Health Organization (WHO) mass drug administration (MDA) program has reducing the incidence of Lymphatic filariasis worldwide, this effort has been plagued by non-compliance, incomplete penetration of endemic areas and concerns about the development drug resistance making it unlikely that the goal of eliminating LF by 2020 will be met.This highlights the need for additional methods of controlling LF that can be used to eliminate this devastating disease.

Description/Details

UIC inventors have developed a novel vaccine for the prevention of lymphatic filariasis. This vaccine has been shown to elicit strong, protective immune responses in rodent models of lymphatic filariasis infection.The immune response elicited by this vaccine has been demonstrated to be protective against both W. bancrofti and B. malayi infection.Further, sequence homology analysis indicates that this vaccine will also likely be protective not only against infection by B. timori, the least common cause of LF, but against the causative agents of Loa Loa and Onchocerciasis.

The efficacy of this vaccine has been demonstrated separately when delivered as protein or DNA antigens, as well as in a prime-boost immunization schedule taking advantage of both formulations.The protein antigen formulation is currently being tested in a non-human primate model of lymphatic filariasis infection.

Applications

Potentially highly effective vaccine for the prevention of Lymphatic filariasis with potential for cross protection against Loa Loa and Onchocerciasis infection.

Benefits

Pre-clinical studies show that the vaccine is nearly 100% effective in rodent live-parasite challenge assays.

Non-human primate studies are underway.

Inventor Name

Ramaswamy Kalyanasundaram

Reference #

DE025
Download Email Preview
print