Development of Safe and Effective Oral Immunotherapy

Pradip Maiti of Immunimed Inc. in Canada will provide passive immunotherapy using chicken-egg-derived polyclonal antibodies against key proteins of the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium. This orally-administered immunotherapy will prevent the chronic diarrhea and potentially lethal infection caused by this parasite. Treating patients directly with antibodies against a pathogen is quicker than using traditional vaccination methods that induce individuals to make their own antibodies, which takes days to weeks and can also be difficult in malnourished children. This immunotherapy is an alternative to antibiotics, which are becoming less effective. The immunotherapy will be in the form of an egg powder that can be ingested, which is also easier and safer than using injections. The resulting antibodies will be tested for specificity in vitro, and for their ability to treat the disease using a mouse model of Cryptosporidiosis.