A UCLA-led group of researchers may have found a vaccine against anthrax, plague and tularemia -- three potent pathogens likely to be used in a bioterror attack, the university announced Thursday. If found to be safe and effective in humans, the vaccine could protect people from all three lethal bacteria, the researchers said.
While there are no licensed vaccines for tularemia and plague, there is an anthrax vaccine which requires a burdensome immunization schedule and has severe side effects. The UCLA team used molecular engineering to develop vaccines against each that use a common delivery method, or "single vector," to carry protective antigens to the immune system. The findings were published May 3 in the journal Scientific Reports.
"Relying on currently available antibiotics to counter an intentional outbreak of anthrax, plague or tularemia is not a pragmatic public health plan -- vaccines offer the only practical protection," said Dr. Marcus Horwitz, the study's senior author and a professor of medicine and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA...
Full story at https://patch.com/california/centurycity/ucla-scientists-develop-bioterrorism-vaccine-anthrax-plague
Of course, we're also waiting to see what the Regents do with retiree health care in July. Perhaps the item above is related to that:
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