New genital herpes vaccine candidate provides powerful protection in preclinical tests

Penn scientists hope to start human clinical trials in 2017 Approximately 500 million people around the world are infected with the genital herpes virus known as herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2). A vaccine that could bring an end to this global pandemic is needed desperately, yet no candidate vaccine has ever performed well in clinical trials. Now scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that a new type of vaccine provides powerful protection in standard guinea pig and monkey models of HSV2 infection. The new “trivalent” vaccine induces antibodies against three different parts of the virus, including two components that normally help HSV2 evade immune attack. “It’s a novel strategy, and it works beautifully,” said senior investigator Harvey M. Friedman, MD, a professor of Infectious Diseases at Penn. “I know of no other HSV2 vaccine candidate with published results that are as promising as this study.” The...