Background

Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep is a major health and economic problem. Toxoplasmosis is the second leading cause of miscarriage, accounting for 10-30% of lambs lost in the UK. UK losses are estimated at £24M annually, therefore prevention of T. gondii infection is of great importance to the economic welfare of sheep farming, as well as essential to safeguard the human food chain. There is a need for an improved vaccine which is effective, stable, safe and convenient.

Humans are at risk from toxoplasmosis through consumption of undercooked, infected lamb. It can lead to serious complications for immunocompromised individuals and during pregnancy, where it can cause miscarriage and stillbirth, as well as neurological (e.g. cerebral palsy, seizures) and visual (e.g. blindness) deficits in infants. Approximately 2000 UK women per year are infected with T. gondii during pregnancy. Worldwide, incidence of toxoplasmosis in babies is estimated at 190,100 cases per year. An improved vaccination regime in sheep will in turn improve human health.

Technology Overview

Researchers have identified and characterised the enzymes required for the synthesis of sphingolipids in T. gondii. Sphingolipids are essential components of eukaryotic cell membranes, meaning that inhibition of their synthesis in T. gondii is a potentially viable treatment pathway.

While the research is still in the early stages (TRL 2), the team believe that the characterisation of this enzyme pathway could be used both to create an effective and safe vaccine, and to screen for novel compounds for treatment of toxoplasmosis. The team have already used this expertise to eliminate aureobasidin A as an inhibitor of the T. gondii sphingolipid synthesis pathway.

The team believe their approach to developing a T. gondii vaccine has the potential to be a platform technology which could be applied cheaply against multiple different strains of the parasite. This opens up the opportunity of entry into expanding markets, such as China.

Benefits

The research team have developed a precisely defined vaccine solution to ovine toxoplasmosis which delivers:

Effectiveness ‑ produces a prolonged immune response; follow‑on vaccination not required.
Safety ‑ will not cause human disease if accidentally self‑administered by vet/farmer.
Flexibility ‑ possible to produce vaccines against a range of T. gondii strains to fully cover a global problem
Price ‑ expect to achieve £4‑5 per dose.

Furthermore, a more efficacious product will lead to cost savings for the farmer because only one administration will be required for lifetime immunity and would be expected to lead to greater uptake by farmers.

Applications

Platform approach to creation of new vaccines targeting multiple strains of T. gondii
Screening method for novel compounds for toxoplasmosis treatment. Possible applications in other apicomplexan parasites.

Opportunity

The team are looking to engage with commercial partners in the national and global animal health sector. The University is looking to work with companies who would like to collaborate in vaccine development and/or the development of the screening technology.

The leading researcher has been working with protozoan parasites for over 25 years, initially working on T. gondii organellar biology before developing expertise in lipid biosynthesis in the parasitic protozoa. The team has already been active in the parasite drug discovery arena.

Novel Treatments for Toxoplasmosis

IP Status

Seeking