Danish researchers develop a new vaccine against Chlamydia. The sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia is spreading both in Denmark and globally, posing an increasing challenge in the healthcare sector. Danish researchers have carried out two human test phases of a vaccine against Chlamydia, being the first in the world to do so, and with support from the Danish Independent Research Fund, they are working to find an effective solution to combat the widespread infection.
Chlamydia affects at least 131 million people worldwide annually, including around 50,000 in Denmark, primarily in the age group of 15 to 49 years. The disease can be difficult to detect and can lead to involuntary infertility in women if not treated in time. One of the challenges with Chlamydia is that three out of four infected individuals do not experience symptoms, making it difficult to detect and treat the infection in a timely manner.
The research group, led by senior researcher Jes Dietrich from the State Serum Institute (Statens Serum Institut), has focused on understanding and harnessing TH17 T-cells, which play a central role in the immune system’s ability to detect and combat the Chlamydia bacterium. Although antibiotic treatment is effective against Chlamydia, the disease is still a major health problem due to the asymptomatic nature in many infected individuals.
Jes Dietrich explains that developing a vaccine against Chlamydia is challenging because the bacterium evades the immune system’s attention by hiding inside the body’s own cells and using them as factories to produce new bacteria. The initial clinical trials have shown that the new vaccine is safe and can induce a strong immune response.
In 2019, the Danish researchers tested a promising vaccine against sexually transmitted Chlamydia, and they have recently adjusted and tested it again. The next step is to investigate whether the vaccine provides sufficient protection against Chlamydia in humans, which requires testing on far more people than before and funding of around a few hundred million Danish kroner.
A successful vaccine will have significant international implications, as Chlamydia is prevalent in both industrialized and developing countries, and it could improve the quality of life for many people worldwide.