Bioterrorism vaccine available by 2008?

[mr friendly guy]

link

Vaccines to protect against bioterrorism could be available within three years, an Australian researcher says.

Professor Nikolai Petrovsky, the director of diabetes and endocrinology at Adelaide's Flinders Medical Centre, has been awarded more than $3 million by the United States government to develop the vaccines.

Prof Petrovsky's research involves using a natural sugar-based product to boost existing vaccines and develop new ones.

He said this should produce safer and more effective vaccines than those currently containing aluminium.

"The threat of bioterrorism is very real and can be seen by the significant number of bioterrorist-related anthrax deaths in the US in recent years," Prof Petrovsky said.

"The vaccines we are developing are safe, inexpensive and easy to manufacture, which is ideal for use in a large scale bioterrorism situation.

"The vaccines being developed should be available for general human use within three to five years."

Prof Petrovsky is also developing improved vaccines against a range of potentially deadly infections such as influenza and hepatitis B, as well as early stage research into vaccines against allergies, diabetes and cancer.

"There is a need to develop more effective vaccines with increased and longer-lasting immunity and fewer side effects than current vaccines," he said.

©AAP 2005

[Noble Ire]

But doesn't "Bioterrorism" constitute more than a single variety of chemical, toxin, or spore? How can you design a blanket vaccine for dozens of possible sicknesses?

[AMX]

But doesn't "Bioterrorism" constitute more than a single variety of chemical, toxin, or spore? How can you design a blanket vaccine for dozens of possible sicknesses?

Easy: you don't.
Notice that the article talks about vaccines; plural.