Periodontal Diseases

SAN CARLOS, Calif., April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxcyte, Inc.(Nasdaq: PCVX), a clinical-stage vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases, announced today that Company management will participate in a fireside chat at the 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, April 9 at 12:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. PT. A live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed through the Investors & Media section of the Company’s website at . A replay of the webcast will be available for approximately 30 days following the conference. About Vaxcyte Vaxcyte is a vaccine innovation company engineering high-fidelity vaccines to protect humankind from the consequences of bacterial diseases. The Company is developing broad-spectrum conjugate and novel protein vaccines to prevent or treat bacterial infectious diseases. Vaxcyte’s lead candidate, VAX-24, is a Phase 3-ready 24-valent, broad-spectrum, carrier-sparing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) being developed for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). VAX-31, the Company’s next-generation 31-valent PCV, is the broadest-spectrum PCV candidate in the clinic today. Both VAX-24 and VAX-31 are designed to improve upon the standard-of-care PCVs for both children and adults by covering the serotypes that are responsible for a significant portion of IPD in circulation and are associated with high case-fatality rates, antibiotic resistance and meningitis, while maintaining coverage of previously circulating strains that are currently contained through continued vaccination practice. Vaxcyte is re-engineering the way highly complex vaccines are made through modern synthetic techniques, including advanced chemistry and the XpressCF™ cell-free protein synthesis platform, exclusively licensed from Sutro Biopharma, Inc. Unlike conventional cell-based approaches, the Company’s system for producing difficult-to-make proteins and antigens is intended to accelerate its ability to efficiently create and deliver high-fidelity vaccines with enhanced immunological benefits. Vaxcyte’s pipeline also includes VAX-A1, a prophylactic vaccine candidate designed to prevent Group A Strep infections; VAX-PG, a therapeutic vaccine candidate designed to slow or stop the progression of periodontal disease; and VAX-GI, a vaccine candidate designed to prevent Shigella. Vaxcyte is driven to eradicate or treat invasive bacterial infections, which have serious and costly health consequences when left unchecked. For more information, visit . Contacts: Jennifer Zibuda, Senior Director, Investor Relations Vaxcyte, Inc. 860-729-8902 investors@vaxcyte.com Janet Graesser, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Vaxcyte, Inc. 917-685-8799 media@vaxcyte.com

Researchers have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in the oral microenvironment from the Bronze Age to today. The teeth both belonged to the same male individual and also provided a snapshot of his oral health. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in the oral microenvironment from the Bronze Age to today. The teeth both belonged to the same male individual and also provided a snapshot of his oral health. The study, carried out in collaboration with archaeologists from the Atlantic Technological University and University of Edinburgh, was published today in journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. The authors identified several bacteria linked to gum disease and provided the first high-quality ancient genome of Streptococcus mutans, the major culprit behind tooth decay. While S. mutans is very common in modern mouths, it is exceptionally rare in the ancient genomic record. One reason for this may be the acid-producing nature of the species. This acid decays the tooth, but also destroys DNA and stops plaque from fossilising. While most ancient oral microbiomes are retrieved from fossilised plaque, this study targeted the tooth directly. Another reason for the scarcity of S. mutans in ancient mouths may be the lack of favorable habitats for this sugar-loving species. An uptick of dental cavities is seen in the archaeological record after the adoption of cereal agriculture thousands of years ago, but a far more dramatic increase has occurred only in the past few hundred years when sugary foods were introduced to the masses. The sampled teeth were part of a larger skeletal assemblage excavated from Killuragh Cave, County Limerick, by the late Peter Woodman of University College Cork. While other teeth in the cave showed advanced dental decay, no cavities were visible on the sampled teeth. However, one tooth produced an unprecedented amount of S. mutans DNA, a sign of an extreme imbalance in the oral microbial community. "We were very surprised to see such a large abundance of S. mutans in this 4,000-year-old tooth," said Dr Lara Cassidy, an assistant professor in Trinity's School of Genetics and Microbiology, and senior author of the study. "It is a remarkably rare find and suggests this man was at a high risk of developing cavities right before his death." The researchers also found that other streptococcal species were virtually absent from the tooth. This indicates the natural balance of the oral biofilm had been upset -- mutans had outcompeted the other streptococci leading to the pre-disease state. The team also found evidence to support the "disappearing microbiome" hypothesis, which proposes modern microbiomes are less diverse than those of our ancestors. This is cause for concern, as biodiversity loss can impact human health. The two Bronze Age teeth produced highly divergent strains of Tannerella forsythia, a bacteria implicated in gum disease. "These strains from a single ancient mouth were more genetically different from one another than any pair of modern strains in our dataset, despite the modern samples deriving from Europe, Japan and the USA," explained Iseult Jackson, a PhD candidate at Trinity, and first author of the study. "This represents a major loss in diversity and one that we need to understand better." Very few full genomes from oral bacteria have been recovered prior to the Medieval era. By characterising prehistoric diversity, the authors were able to reveal dramatic changes in the oral microenvironment that have happened since. Dr Cassidy added: "Over the last 750 years, a single lineage of T. forsythia has become dominant worldwide. This is the tell-tale sign of natural selection, where one strain rises rapidly in frequency due to some genetic advantage it holds over the others. T. forsythia strains from the industrial era onwards contain many new genes that help the bacteria colonise the mouth and cause disease. "S. mutans has also undergone recent lineage expansions and changes in gene content related to pathogenicity. These coincide with humanity's mass consumption of sugar, although we did find that modern S. mutans populations have remained more diverse, with deep splits in the S. mutans evolutionary tree pre-dating the Killuragh genome." The scientists believe this is driven by differences in the evolutionary mechanisms that shape genome diversity in these species. "S. mutans is very adept at swapping genetic material between strains," said Dr Cassidy. "This means an advantageous innovation can be spread across S. mutans lineages like a new piece of tech. This ability to easily share innovations may explain why this species retains many diverse lineages without one becoming dominant and replacing all the others." In effect, both these disease-causing bacteria have changed dramatically from the Bronze Age to today, but it appears that very recent cultural transitions in the industrial era have had an inordinate impact.

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spectrum Solutions®, saliva diagnostic biotech leader, today announced the official release of a new saliva diagnostic testing innovation, SimplyPERIO™. As advances in science continue to focus on the mouth-body connection and its direct link to systemic disease, SimplyPERIO™ fills a testing void by delivering more intelligent health measures with real clinical relevance using 16 oral targets from a single patient sample. Gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is one of the most undiagnosed and untreated diseases, but has some of the highest negative impacts on many bodily systems and functions. In addition, gum disease decreases a person’s ability to fight infection and inflammation. SimplyPERIO™ uses a proprietary molecular technology to test for and measure periodontal bacteria, caries, fungal and viral targets all for one affordable cost. Understanding treatment success is often influenced by host immunity and host response, this unique, highly sensitive and highly specific saliva test offers Providers the real opportunity to elevate patient care with the most complete oral health picture. “We are using science to make saliva diagnostics simple for both Patients and Providers. SimplyPERIO™ testing is not only pain-free it takes less than 30 seconds for a patient to collect their own sample,” said Dr. David Vigerust, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Spectrum Solutions. “In addition, our CAP accredited laboratory delivers Providers the independent, 3rd party results necessary for intelligent, data-supported patient conversations about stopping and even reversing their disease and systemic risks.” In the U.S., numbers illustrate that 80% of individuals over 35 have a form of gum disease. Gingivitis, periodontitis and peri-implantitis are all forms of gum disease. These numbers demonstrate that for the vast majority, there may be dangerous and damaging periodontal disease pathogens hiding that can't be identified with a perio-probe or visual exam during regular semi-annual cleanings. Gone unchecked, these harmful oral bacteria and toxins are allowed to sit and accumulate inside the mouth. From inside the mouth these microorganisms move freely to and through the bloodstream with far reaching and catastrophic effects on the heart, arteries, central nervous system and more. The SimplyPERIO™ patented blue buffer solution located inside the collection device’s cap stabilizes saliva samples at room temperature eliminating any special post-collection storage or shipping requirements. Easily deposit one at a time, supporting at-home patient testing for follow-up and treatment monitoring, or gather an entire day’s worth of in-office collections into the USPS postage-paid return box for mailing samples back to the lab for processing. ABOUT SPECTRUM SOLUTIONS® Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Spectrum Solutions is dedicated to empowering complete wellness and bridging the gap between science and innovative healthcare solutions. Our stand-alone and fully integrated test-to-treat solutions support molecular diagnostics and DTC testing applications, advancing product development and accelerating go-to-market applications. Our single-source, end-to-end capabilities include a CAP accredited molecular diagnostic laboratory, onsite compounding pharmacy, product development, manufacturing and fulfillment. SimplyTest® and Spectrum Solutions® are registered trademarks of Spectrum Solution, LLC. For more information, please visit spectrumsolution.com or simplytest.com.