Researchers at the Pharmaceutical School of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, in cooperation with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Exir Pharmaceutical Company, all in Iran, have designed a nanotechnology-based vaccine to prevent leishmaniasis disease. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that affects approximately 12 million people globally, with more than 60,000 dying every year. According to Dr. Mohammad Ali Danesh, one of the researchers of the project, “The purpose of the present study was to design a nano vaccine against leishmaniasis diseases that exists in three forms of dermal, mucous, and visceral.” The results mean that a single-dose nano-vaccine for leishmaniasis and similar protozoal infections is possible. The next step for the researchers, says Dr. Danesh, will be continuation of studies on animals. “It takes any new vaccine at least 12 years to come to the market, and it must undergo various tests on animals and humans at different stages, and it must be approved by one of the international organizations,” Dr. Danesh explained.
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