New therapeutic antibody fragments to treat toxoplasmosis



13 Mars 2017

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Fields

Biology / Medical

Sectors

Health

Context

Toxoplasmosis is a pandemic parasite infection affecting all hot-blood animals. Toxoplasmosis displays several clinical forms

  • Congenital toxoplasmosis
  • Ocular form that can lead to the blindness
  • Neurotoxoplasmosis (encephalitis, behaviour disorders).

Few indicators:

  • Seroprevalence = 7 to 80%, depending on countries (37% in France)
  • 200 000 to 300 000 new cases in France per year.
  • 800 000 to 1 000 000 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis in France. The current treatments are heavy (monitoring), not specific, and exhibit low efficiency and many adverse effects.

Technology

Therapeutic antibody fragments targeting specifically a surface antigen of the infectious tachyzoite form of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite involved in parasite binding to host cells Efficiency demonstrated in a mouse model of ocular toxoplasmosis with a singlechain variable fragment (scFv).

Advantages

  • Very high specificity of the treatment.
  • Higher theorical tolerance and lower monitoring than current treatments.
  • In situ treatment by intravitreal injection (commonly used in ophthalmology) to treat ocular toxoplasmosis.
  • Treatment appropriate to all mammalians.
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