An early clinical trial of a vaccine for genital chlamydia has shown promising results. The findings were published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
In this phase 1 trial, researchers at Imperial College London and Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen performed a comparative evaluation of two different formulations of the new chlamydia vaccine. Fifteen chlamydia-free women received the vaccine with liposomes and 15 received the vaccine with aluminium hydroxide, while five women received placebo. The vaccination schedule included three intramuscular injections over a period of several months, followed by two intranasally administered boosters.
The findings showed that both formulations of the vaccine successfully provoked an immune response in all participants within their respective groups, whereas none of the participants in the placebo group could achieve an immune response. Although an immune response was seen with both formulations, the liposomal formulation demonstrated consistently better performance and higher antibody production. Therefore, further clinical development will be pursued for the liposomal vaccine.
Professor Robin Shattock from Imperial College London said: "The findings are encouraging as they show the vaccine is safe and produces the type of immune response that could potentially protect against chlamydia."