How Long Will It Take to Launch an Effective Helicobacter pylori Vaccine for Humans?

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection often occurs in early childhood, and can last a lifetime if not treated with medication. H. pylori infection can also cause a variety of stomach diseases, which can only be treated with a combination of antibiotics. Combinations of antibiotics can cure H. pylori infection, but it is easy to relapse and develop drug resistance. Therefore, a vaccine is a promising strategy for prevention and therapy for the infection of H. pylori . After decades of research and development, there has been no appearance of any H. pylori vaccine reaching the market, unfortunately. This review summarizes the aspects of candidate antigens, immunoadjuvants, and delivery systems in the long journey of H. pylori vaccine research, and also introduces some clinical trials that have displayed encouraging or depressing results. Possible reasons for the inability of an H. pylori vaccine to be available over the counter are cautiously discussed and some propositions for the future of H. pylori vaccines are outlined.

Current and Future Perspectives on the Management of Helicobacter pylori: A Narrative Review

“…H. pylori possesses several unique and challenging strategies to help it survive hostile gastric environments and modify the host immune response to allow it to survive. As a result, no vaccine has yet succeeded in inducing long-term protection against H. pylori [ 71 , 72 ]. Additional barriers in the development of the vaccine include the limitations of the mouse model, the lack of financial interest in it compared to the likes of the COVID vaccine, the genetic diversity of H. pylori (with different strains of the same pathogen being seen in some studies), and the immunotolerance mechanism of t-regulatory cells that can allow tolerance to H. pylori .…”

“…Furthermore, given that infection occurs in children, this vaccine needs to be suitable for children, have a high uptake rate, and have proof of long-term protection, which currently is lacking. While a lot of development has occurred in the field, the time to vaccine availability is still likely to be significant, as most studies are still in the early phase [ 71 ].…”

Review of foodborne helicobacteriosis

“…Vaccination holds promise as a preventive measure against H. pylori infection on a global scale. However, previous attempts to develop an H. pylori vaccine have yielded disappointing results (Li et al, 2023). While certain vaccine candidates have shown potential for prophylactic use, none have demonstrated clinical applicability (Zhang et al, 2022).…”

Outer membrane vesicles from genetically engineered Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium presenting Helicobacter pylori antigens UreB and CagA induce protection against Helicobacter pylori infection in mice

“…However, the alarming rate of bacterial antibiotic resistance has greatly overwhelmed antibiotic development [ 2 ]. Therefore, an increasing number of researchers are developing better treatment methods, with effective, safe, and low-cost vaccines against H. pylori infection being one feasible option [ 3 ]. The current design of H. pylori vaccines is mainly based on H. pylori live bacterial preparations, flagellin antigens, or adhesion antigens, none of which have met expectations.…”