LONG BEACH, Calif., June 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Anivive’s initiative to develop a vaccine against canine Valley Fever is gaining attention as the threat of systemic fungal diseases escalates globally. The company’s work with Dr. John Galgiani and his research team at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona College of Medicine is featured in a June 1, 2021 story in Scientific American.
The team is using breakthrough gene deletion technology to remove CPS1, a gene key to the fungi’s ability to reproduce, to create a modified fungal organism for the vaccine. Clinical studies are proving that the modified organism, while unable to spread, provokes a strong immune reaction in mice and dogs.
“I think this is proof of concept for a fungal vaccine—having it in use in dogs, seeing it is safe,” says Dr. Lisa Shubitz, associate director of Valley Fever initiatives on Galgiani’s research team. “I really believe this is the path to a human vaccine.”
There has never been a vaccine for a systemic fungal infection, for people or pets. The team believes that this Valley Fever fungal vaccine will pave the way for vaccines against other fungal diseases such as histoplasmosis and blastomycosis, making Anivive’s
