MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

AGS-v is composed of four salivary peptides isolated from Anopheles gambiae salivary glands, but that are common across a number of mosquitoes. It works by creating an anti-saliva immune response in humans that prevents infection. In addition, after the mosquito bites a vaccinated human host, antibodies from the human attack the gut and salivary glands of the mosquito which reduces the survival of the mosquito.

Imutex collaborated with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) team to perform the vaccine’s “First in Man” Phase I clinical trial in partnership with the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. In 2018, the NIH presented partial results from the Phase I study of AGS-v, based upon the available data the Phase I study met primary objective endpoints with regard to safety and humoral response.

In June 2019, as published in The Lancet, concluded that AGS-v was well tolerated, and, when adjuvanted, immunogenic. These findings suggest that vector-targeted vaccine administration in humans is safe and could be a viable option for the increasing burden of vector-borne disease.