Experimental vaccine for 'neglected disease' carried by hundreds of millions of people shows promising results

AI Summary

A new experimental vaccine targeting schistosomiasis shows promising results by triggering an immune response and training the body to recognize the disease. Research led by Afzal Siddiqui at Texas Tech University demonstrates potential for addressing this neglected tropical disease.

For a vaccine to be effective, it must do two things. First, it must trigger an immune response. Second, the vaccine must train the body to remember the response so it can fight that same disease in the future. Now, new research shows that the only vaccine being tested to prevent and treat schistosomiasis can do both, and the researcher who made it possible is Afzal Siddiqui, Ph.D., from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC).