An Investigation of Vaccine Candidates For the Treatment of Leprosy and Their Efficacyand Accessibility at Polygence’s 9th Symposium of Rising Scholars in September 2023.

Abstract: Leprosy is a disease caused by the immune system’s response to the bacteria Mycobacteriumleprae. Infection with M. leprae can severely damage peripheral nerves, leading to the loss ofsmell, sight, limbs and even paralysis. The majority of individuals impacted by this disease livein poor socioeconomic conditions. While over 120 countries report around 200,000 cases ofleprosy per year, 52% of these cases were found in India alone in 2022. While treatments suchas multi-drug therapy (MDT) are available to treat leprosy, there is still a chance of relapse. Inaddition, MDT requires long-term treatments that are not readily accessible to patients with fewmeans. On the other hand, if vaccines were an option for leprosy, they might have a fartherreach and prevent infections in high incidence regions Thus, this paper focuses on evaluatingthe efficacy and accessibility of the three vaccines currently being developed or that areapproved by the FDA to treat leprosy: BCG, MIP, and LepVax. This review will also investigatecurrent limitations that need to be overcome, such as lack of clinical trials and adverse sideeffects after administration of a vaccine. While vaccines on the market do provide some relief forthose with leprosy, further work needs to be done to develop a vaccine that is both effective andaccessible to those populations affected.

Introduction: Leprosy is caused by the immune system’s response to infection with the bacteriumMycobacterium leprae (termed M. leprae), which can severely damage nerve cells[1]. It mainlyaffects the skin, eyes, nose and peripheral nerves. Symptoms include varying sizes of lightcolored or red skin patches with reduced sensation, numbness and weakness in hands and feet.Leprosy is rarely fatal; rather, it causes many impairments to the body and can result in loss ofsight, smell, limbs, and paralysis over the course of years[2]... Click to download