LONDON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A vaccine candidate designed to protect against rhinoviruses, which cause the great majority of common colds and exacerbate chronic respiratory illnesses, has shown encouraging early results in a Phase 1 clinical trial, Imperial College London said Wednesday.
Initial findings suggested that the candidate, known as APL-10456, was well tolerated in healthy volunteers and that a single dose generated immune responses against all three major rhinovirus species.
The vaccine was developed through a collaboration between Imperial and biopharmaceutical company Apollo Therapeutics, building on years of research led by Sebastian Johnston, a professor of respiratory medicine and allergy at Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute.
Since 2017, Imperial researchers and Apollo have evaluated and refined different vaccine approaches. More than 20 preclinical studies conducted with contract research organization VirTus Respiratory Research Ltd helped identify the candidate and produced evidence supporting its progression to human testing.
Enrollment and dosing have been completed in the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 1 trial involving 144 healthy participants, according to the university.
The first stage assessed the safety, tolerability and immune response of APL-10456 in healthy participants and evaluated three single-dose levels in adults aged between 18 and 54. The second stage is evaluating a two-dose regimen in adults aged 55 and above, with further data expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
There are around 180 rhinovirus strains across three species -- A, B and C -- making them a difficult target for vaccine development. Although most infections cause a mild common cold, the viruses are a major cause of flare-ups in people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. No targeted antiviral treatment or vaccine for rhinovirus infection has yet been approved.
"It is very encouraging to see this progress into clinical results, which follow years of research and development," Johnston said.
However, further clinical research is needed to determine whether APL-10456 can prevent rhinovirus infections or reduce illness in people with asthma, COPD and other respiratory conditions. A study involving COPD patients is anticipated to begin in the first half of 2027. ■
