OnCo
ideasIdea

A vaccine against H. pylori for children in high-risk regions

A childhood vaccine against the stomach bacterium behind most stomach cancer would prevent infection for life. One trial in China showed protection; the idea has stalled.

An oral recombinant urease B vaccine showed about 72% efficacy against infection in a Chinese phase 3 in children (published 2015) but was not developed further. Propose a renewed programme of mucosal or mRNA vaccines against urease, CagA and VacA with infection-prevention and gastric precancer endpoints in high-incidence cohorts.

Hypothesis
A vaccine reducing childhood H. pylori acquisition by at least 60% reduces atrophic gastritis at age 30 by at least 40% and, long term, gastric cancer incidence.
Rationale
The bacterium is a defined carcinogen; preventing chronic infection prevents the disease pathway, as HBV vaccination did for liver cancer.
What would test it
Phase 2 immunogenicity and infection-prevention trial in 5,000 children with three-year follow-up.
Maturity
early clinical
Who has to act
philanthropy
Cost to try
Large (over $50M)
Years to first evidence
12
Bottlenecks it attacks

Connected

3top

Pages like this

not linked directly; found by shared links

cancers

1
Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer

fronts

1
Prevention & Risk

bottlenecks

1
Prevention we already have is not deployed