Rational Vaccines Awarded $2.8 Million to Advance Groundbreaking Herpes Research

National Institute of Health Provides Support for Herpes Simplex Virus Testing and Treatment

WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rational Vaccines (RVx) was recently awarded $2.8 million in National Institute of Health (NIH) funding to help further its research to diagnose, treat and prevent the spread of the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV).

It is estimated that more than half of the human population harbors a life-long latent HSV infection. While many people associate HSV with genital herpes, one of the most prevalent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in the world, the virus can present itself in a variety of ways from ocular herpes to the common cold sore. Research shows HSV can have severe lasting effects on a person's health including blindness, dementia and more.

"The lasting health implications of HSV make it a dangerous disease and one that we, in the medical and scientific community, must take more seriously. We look forward to continuing our work and further our research with the help of NIH," said Dr. Edward Gershburg, Chief Technology Officer.

RVx received three separate grants. The first is to help develop a new diagnostic test, suitable for routine population-based screening. Current screening methods are limited to detecting active infections in people with high viral loads, often making them unreliable. RVx is developing a novel HSV type-specific test that will provide improved sensitivity and reduce instances of false-negative diagnosis.

The second project is a live-attenuated HSV-1 strain "VC2" meant to prevent and treat ocular herpes. A live-attenuated virus is a weakened (attenuated) virus that can multiply within the host to a limited extent and is engineered to be unable to cause any disease. This is an especially important study, because HSV-1 can result in irreparable cornea damage  and is a major cause of blindness worldwide.

The third undertaking is the development and manufacturing of a prophylactic and therapeutic HSV vaccine that will be essential to curbing the spread of herpes. Through an exclusive license with Louisiana State University (LSU), Rational Vaccines is developing a novel immunomodulatory vaccine engineered to help the body recognize the virus and eliminate it without making the person sick.

While several vaccines have been evaluated for the prevention and treatment of HSV infections, none has received FDA approval. RVx aims to be the first.

"At Rational Vaccines, we have been working on vaccines long before the pandemic made them popular.  We have always known how chronically debilitating herpetic diseases can be, especially for marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected. It is very encouraging that the NIAID is supporting our live attenuated approach to herpetic disease treatment and prevention," said Agustin Fernandez, RVx Chief Executive Officer." After many decades of failure with recombinant protein subunit-based vaccine approaches, we are convinced that our proprietary limited replication competent mutants are the only way to defeat this virus. Our mission at Rational Vaccines remains the same as it has been since our inception — to rid the world of HSV. This brings us one step closer."

About Rational Vaccines

Rational Vaccines develops rationally engineered, live attenuated viral immunotherapeutic and prophylactic vaccine candidates, particularly focused on combating all diseases resulting from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infections. The company currently has several vaccine candidates in the pipeline. We are confident that our technology will revolutionize the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of herpes and herpes-related diseases so we can bring hope and healing to a world ravaged by this deadly disease.

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For more information go to https://rationalvaccines.com. Media inquiries can be directed to [email protected].

SOURCE Rational Vaccines