Russian scientists are preparing to revolutionize vaccination against a dangerous infection

employees of the Institute of Organic Chemistry named after N.D. Zelinsky Russian Academy of Sciences and Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums named after I.I. Mechnikov, they are working on the creation of the first domestic vaccine against pneumococcus, which will belong to the third generation drugs and differ from imported analogs in the minimum manifestation of side effects, including fever, soreness of the injection site and even a temporary decrease in immunity. As reported by TASS , unlike the existing vaccines, the new drug will be created on the basis of synthetic oligosaccharides (polysaccharides are traditionally used).

The synthetic base reduces the risk of side effects while guaranteeing a stronger protective response against certain strains of pneumococcus (higher antibody levels are noted). Nikolay Nifantyev, Head of the Laboratory of Glycoconjugate Chemistry at the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, RAS Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, comments: “When you include a polysaccharide in a vaccine, you add a lot of excess in terms of antigenic load. antigen, which is recognized by the immune system), and they are standardly and reproducibly attached to the carrier protein. "

Vaccine components have already been obtained from four common pneumococcal strains. In the near future, scientists are going to determine the serotypes of microorganisms specific to Russia and its individual regions. According to the director of the Institute of Tropical and Vector-borne Diseases named after E.I. Alexander Lukashev's Marcinovsky Sechenov University, the determination of serotypes guarantees an increase in the effectiveness of the vaccine. For some microorganisms, there is little difference in what territory they are distributed - in Russia or other states. But not for pneumococci, where there are different serological variants, the specialist emphasizes. Recall: this pathogen causes bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media and other purulent diseases.