AMRIC, National Research Council developing vaccine

Sudbury's Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada (AMRIC) has teamed up with the National Research Council of Canada and Lilly Creek Vaccines to develop a vaccine for Helicobacter pylori infection.

H. pylori is a bacterium that infects the inner lining of the stomach and can cause gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.

The three organizations have received $575,000 and will collaborate on the two-year research agreement through the National Research Council's vaccine program.

The National Research Council will carry out preclinical testing to determine the vaccine's efficacy. If results are positive, preclinical research and clinical trials in high-risk populations in northern Canada will be conducted by Lilly Creek Vaccines, a new venture created by AMRIC.

Communities in the far north are most at risk for H. Pylori infections.

H. pylori infection affects about 50 per cent of the world's population -- 70 per cent in developing countries and 20 to 30 per cent in industrialized countries.

Most infections occur in childhood, and are linked to poor sanitation and low socio-economic living conditions.

In the far north, 50 to 60 per cent of the population is exposed to the infection, compared to 20 to 30 per cent nationally.