51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Researchers have launched the first in-human study of a rabies vaccine that could improve global access to protection against rabies while helping advance future pandemic preparedness.

The RAB-Vac study is led in collaboration between 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

Approximately 48 healthy adults will take part in the research at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to assess the safety of the vaccine and observe the immune response generated after vaccination.

"The clinical evaluation of our rabies vaccine is an important step in demonstrating the platform’s potential to support rapid, scalable vaccine responses to future pandemic threats." Professor Robin Shattock Department of Infectious Disease

While rabies vaccines are licensed for people, current designs are difficult and expensive to manufacture, which can limit getting supplies to where they are needed most. The vaccine being tested in this RAB-Vac study could mean the vaccine is easier to produce at a lower cost.

The vaccine also uses an innovative and fast RNA design, which could unlock the potential of repurposing the platform to rapidly fend off other infectious diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential.

Professor Robin Shattock, Chair in Mucosal Infection and Immunity, Department of Infectious Disease and lead of the study said, “This marks a significant milestone in our partnership with CEPI and in the development of a next-generation self-amplifying RNA vaccine platform capable of delivering protection at lower doses than conventional mRNA vaccines. The clinical evaluation of our rabies vaccine is an important step in demonstrating the platform’s potential to support rapid, scalable vaccine responses to future pandemic threats.”

Testing the next generation of vaccines

People become ill with rabies after being bitten or scratched by infected animals, with stray dogs accounting for most infections worldwide. If the illness reaches the brain, it results in neurological symptoms and, almost always, death. An estimated 60,000 people lose their lives to the disease each year, with children particularly vulnerable - and the number of infections is increasing in parts of Asia and Africa.

Researchers hope that the vaccine candidate being tested in this study will enable simpler and more cost-effective rabies vaccine production, as well as test a platform to repurpose for other infectious diseases.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA technology was utilised and played a pivotal part in quickly producing safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines in record time. Its design means that the technology can be quickly adapted to code for vaccines against other pathogens. The vaccine used in this study could also help respond to future outbreaks, as it uses a self-amplifying mRNA approach.

The self-replicating aspect of this means that in addition to containing genetic instructions that code for immune-generating antigens, the vaccine platform also contains the instructions for replicase, an enzyme that serves as a built-in photocopier, temporarily teaching the body how to make more mRNA. This self-copying design could help reduce the dose of RNA needed while maintaining the effectiveness of the vaccine, which could help to extend the supply of a vaccine to reach more people in an outbreak.

“We don’t know when the next Disease X is coming – nor what it may be - but we know it’s guaranteed,” explains Dr Kent Kester, Executive Director of Research and Development, CEPI. “We therefore need to leverage the world’s leading vaccine innovations, like the RNA technology 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is developing, to be ready to rapidly respond to whatever may come our way.”

CEPI has been supporting the development of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s self-amplifying RNA vaccine , providing up to £11.1 million to research the technology. This included funding for a similar RNA platform evaluated during COVID-19, which demonstrated a favourable safety profile in more than 200 participants.

For more information on the trial and signing up to take part as a volunteer, visit the or websites.

Participants must meet certain eligibility criteria, including being aged 18-55 and availability for all follow-up visits.

Clinical research at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is underpinned by the , a translational research partnership between 51³Ô¹ÏÍø and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust.