The use of vaccines against human leishmaniasis has been a long-term aim, however, there is not yet a licensed vaccine for human use. Several vaccine have been proposed and are at different stages of development.
LEISHDNAVAX is a candidate pentavalent DNA vaccine coding for optimized and T cell epitope-enriched antigens of Leishmania. Previously, this DNA vaccine has been successfully tested in ex vivo human T cell stimulation studies for antigenicity and immunogenicity in cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, and in a mouse model for immunogenicity and effectiveness against visceral leishmaniasis.
The LEISHDNAVAX project seeks to establish a new vaccine principle for leishmaniasis with a special focus on the induction of cell-mediated immunity, including the potential of the LEISHDNAVAX vaccine candidate to protect against cutaneous leishmaniasis in a preclinical animal model. In addition, the project aims also at starting the preparation of a phase I clinical trial for the evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate.