Bath pioneers announce ‘promising’ Hanta vaccine in development
Researchers at University of Bath are developing what they describe as a “highly promising” new vaccine against Hanta virus, combining mRNA technology with the institution’s patented Ensilication stabilisation platform.
The project is being led by Professor Asel Sartbaeva (pictured), chemistry researcher at the university and co-founder of spin-out Ensilitech. According to the research team, the vaccine has already shown “excellent immune responses” in laboratory and animal-model testing, with plans to move towards Phase 1 human clinical trials in the near future.
Hanta viruses – currently in the news following an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius – are transmitted by rodents and can cause serious disease in humans. Sartbaeva said there is currently no effective vaccine available, leaving populations in parts of Southeast Asia, Africa and South America particularly vulnerable.
“Our team has developed a new antigen against Hantaan disease, from the Hanta virus group,” she explained.
“This is a completely new vaccine that has now been tested in the laboratory and in animal models, indicating excellent immune response. While more work needs to be done to bring this vaccine to public – clinical trials and approvals – this is a very promising development of a completely new and needed vaccine.”
The development also reflects growing interest in Ensilication technology, which has been a recurring focus of research activity at Bath in recent years. Developed in Sartbaeva’s laboratory, the patented process stabilises vaccines and other biological materials by surrounding proteins with protective silica cages.
The aim is to protect sensitive biological ingredients from degradation, allowing vaccines to remain stable at ambient temperatures without refrigeration.
For laboratories and pharmaceutical developers but also food producers, the technology could offer a route to reducing reliance on the cold chain infrastructure that underpins both vaccine and food transportation and storage worldwide. Many vaccines currently require strict temperature control throughout manufacturing, shipping and distribution, creating major logistical and financial challenges.
Failures in cold chain systems cost the pharmaceutical sector an estimated £35bn annually through spoiled stock. The problem is particularly acute in developing regions, where the World Health Organization estimates that up to half of all vaccines are wasted because of refrigeration failures.
Bath’s researchers believe Ensilication could help address both the economic and accessibility issues associated with vaccine deployment, especially in remote or infrastructure-limited areas.
Ensilitech, the university spin-out commercialising the technology, is seeking to enable vaccines and medicines to reach patients “everywhere, regardless of infrastructure or geography”.
Its work was highlighted in Laboratory News in 2023, together with an interview (page 26) with Sartbaeva in sister publication Process Engineering in the same year.
In 2024, Ensilitech won a £1. 7 million Department of Health and Social Care contract to develop the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine.
The latest Hanta virus work reflects continued momentum around alternative vaccine stabilisation technologies following the rapid expansion of mRNA vaccine development during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. While mRNA platforms offer significant flexibility and speed of development, their storage requirements have remained a major challenge for widespread global deployment.
By combining mRNA delivery with ambient-temperature stabilisation, the Bath team hopes to create a platform capable not only of addressing Hanta viruses but potentially supporting broader vaccine access in future infectious disease outbreaks.
Although significant regulatory and clinical hurdles remain before any approved product reaches market, the researchers describe the early-stage findings as an encouraging step towards a vaccine for a disease area that currently lacks effective protection.
Second Bath research advance with Leeds pinpoints malaria drug target
Bath researchers have claimed another treatment advance, this time in collaboration with the University of Leeds, reporting an advance in antimalarial drug research.
They identified a promising target that could support the development of more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, focus on an enzyme known as aminopeptidase P (PfAPP), found in Plasmodium falciparum — the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of malaria in humans.
The enzyme plays a key role in breaking down haemoglobin from the human host, supplying amino acids required for parasite growth and replication.
Working across biology and chemistry disciplines, the Bath-Leeds team developed a new series of inhibitors based on an existing compound called apstatin. According to the researchers, the redesigned inhibitors bind more strongly to the parasite enzyme and were also shown to kill the parasite in vitro.
The work relied heavily on X-ray crystallography, allowing the researchers to visualise how the inhibitor molecules interact with the enzyme’s active site in three dimensions.
Professor K. Ravi Acharya, corresponding author of the study, said the work demonstrates how “subtle changes in inhibitor design can transform weak compounds into highly potent and selective molecules”.
The research team believes the findings provide a useful framework for future antimalarial drug discovery at a time when resistance to existing treatments continues to rise globally.
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