Cuban western province included in clinical study of Mambisa vaccine candidate

ARTEMISA, Cuba, Dec 16 (ACN) Artemisa was included in the Phase II clinical study of the vaccine candidate Mambisa with the aim of assessing the immune response in convalescent patients in order to use the nasal compound as a booster dose in that population.

Mambisa, developed at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), is one of five nasal vaccine candidates to have reached the clinical trial stage worldwide.

Eiglys Argudin Somonte, director of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the provincial Public Health Directorate, explained to the Cuban News Agency that since November they have been working on the identification of volunteers for Phase II of the clinical trial with Mambisa .

For her part, Amarilys Garcia Rodriguez, head of the department of Communicable Diseases in the territory, stated that Phase II is expected to include some 900 inhabitants of this province.

The specialist referred that, in Phase I, Mambisa showed its efficacy to reinforce the immune system with the administration of a single dose.

The immunogen reported only slight adverse effects and could serve as a booster for immunization schemes with other vaccines which, due to their nature or the adverse reactions they cause, cannot be used in multiple applications.

Mambisa is a pioneer compound in the use of recombinantly produced antigens based on the formulation of the RBD (Receptor Binding Domain) protein in yeast cells, a procedure used at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) with good results in the production of vaccines, and an immunopotentiator evaluated by the center: the Hepatitis B nucleocapsid antigen.