Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine

Dr. Alexis Kalergis, UC Biological Sciences

Respiratory syncytial virus is a devastating public health problem responsible for 70% to 90% of infection-related hospitalizations in Chile. The United States faces similar statistics since the virus causes approximately 120,000 hospitalizations each year, most of which occur among children aged two and under. 

After spending nearly a decade researching the matter, Dr. Alexis Kalergis and his team successfully developed the first-ever international level vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus for administration in children and newborns.

This vaccine has recently become the first vaccines in Chile to be tested in a Phase 1 Clinical trial in groups of healthy adult volunteers and has successfully met all national and international regulations set forth by the Chilean Public Health Institute (ISP, Instituto de Salud Pública) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“We were able to show that the vaccine is safe and elicits a favorable immune response to the virus, as a result we already have enough objective scientific elements pointing to the fact that it may be capable of preventing the disease in an immunized population,” stated Dr. Alexis Kalergis in a statement to the press. 

The Chilean Army has signed an agreement with researchers for a new stage of studies for this research that is already registered under several patents and recognized by several different organizations including but not limited to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Prosur and Universidad Andrés Bello.