A Thai researcher conducts lab work. In a project financed by JICA and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, Osaka University, Thai organizations and others have succeeded in producing the first antibody of its kind against all types of dengue virus, a cause of mosquito-borne dengue fever.
It was the first time such an antibody was produced using a secondary-infected acute-phase patient's blood, a major success factor for high-quality antibody production. The project has gotten to the point where preclinical trials were conducted in marmoset monkeys using the antibody.
At a wrap-up project seminar held in Bangkok on July 10, it was announced that Osaka University, a project member, would begin negotiations with several companies, including an Indian pharmaceutical company intrigued with the research achievements, for joint development of a therapeutic agent. The negotiations are underway.
Tadahiro Sasaki, second from right, appointed associate professor at the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Japan, gives guidance to Thai counterparts.
If medicine can be developed using the antiproliferative antibody, it would help 50 million to 100 million persons who get infected each year in more than 100 countries, of whom 500,000 fall seriously ill, with 2.5% of the seriously ill dying. The disease is particularly common in the tropics, including Thailand. Infected persons have a fever lasting four to eight days, accompanied by headaches and joint pain, and sometimes by a rash on the chest and limbs. At present there is no preventive vaccine against or cure for the disease and the only way to cope with the disease is such supportive care as bed rest. But once developed, the medicine is expected to be effective both for prevention and treatment of the disease.
Recently, a number of dengue fever outbreaks have been reported across the globe and some have pointed to a growing risk of cross-border transmission due to increased mobility of people, population growth, urbanization and the range expansion of mosquitoes through global warming.
The project was implemented in Thailand under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development, which aims to develop new technologies and find wide applications for existing technologies for global issues relating to the environment, energy, disaster prevention and infectious diseases, in cooperation with developing countries.
Several institutes are engaged in the research, including the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University; the National Institute of Health (NIH), Thailand; the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University; and the Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Thailand. In addition to dengue virus, the 4-year project also targeted influenza viruses and botulinum toxin for development of a cure. Those diseases also have been high-profile in recent years.
Mice are infected with dengue virus in a lab at the National Institute of Health in Thailand. The project also succeeded in producing human monoclonal antibodies that neutralize influenza B virus, in another first, and in producing neutralizing antibodies against botulinum toxin type B. Another focus of the project was the preparation of novel bioactive compounds from microorganisms found in soil, on plants and on insects in Thailand, with inhibitory action against dengue virus, and the project succeeded in finding one such promising compound.
As part of the project, a total of more than 40 Thai researchers visited Japan for training to improve their skills. Japanese Chief Advisor Kazuyoshi Ikuta, professor at the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, said, “Dengue fever is a classic example of a neglected tropical disease, which developed countries haven’t actively addressed as a research subject. The differences in skills and background between the Japanese and Thai sides initially created a little disharmony as a team, but we went to great lengths to overcome it so that we could create optimal learning opportunities for our counterpart members.”
One of the Thai researchers, Dr. Aree Thattiyaphong of NIH, recently commented, “I learned much from our collaborators about how to manage a project to achieve a goal. I do hope the product of this step will be useful material for further research and will benefit humanity.”
Behind the breakthrough are longstanding Japanese cooperation with NIH. Since NIH's creation through grant aid in 1984, Japan has launched a couple of projects to enhance the institute’s research capacities in emerging infectious diseases, while Osaka University has established joint-research facilities within Mahidol University to promote human and academic exchanges between Japan and Thailand.
A window of opportunity could open for a new medicine to be available for clinical application after five to six years once a negotiation goes well with a pharmaceutical company.
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