A University of Victoria researcher is one step closer to developing a potential vaccine against syphilis, after securing a patent for a protein aimed at stopping the disease from entering the blood. Though syphilis is fully treatable with antibiotics, microbiologist Caroline Cameron said recent events show there's a pressing need for a vaccine. But as with many bacterial diseases, developing a vaccine is not a simple process. Cameron's research focuses on a protein colourfully named TP0751, a protein that helps the syphilis bacterium latch on to the walls of human blood vessels. The theory has yet to be tested in clinical trials with animals or humans, but Cameron said obtaining a patent could help encourage businesses to invest in the development of a potential vaccine.

Source: CBC News April 24, 2018 21:56 UTC