recombinant tetanus vaccine

The recombinant tetanus vaccine is a subunit vaccine developed as an alternative to the traditional inactivated (toxoid) tetanus vaccines. It is based on a genetically engineered version of the heavy chain C-terminal fragment (THc or rTTHc) of the Clostridium tetani neurotoxin. This fragment contains key T cell epitopes and immunogenic regions necessary for inducing protective immunity but lacks enzymatic activity and toxicity, making it safer than full-length toxin or toxoid preparations. The THc domain is produced recombinantly in Escherichia coli and purified for use as a highly defined antigen. Preclinical studies have shown that this recombinant subunit provides complete protection against lethal challenge with tetanus toxin in animal models at appropriate dosages, with higher neutralizing antibody titers compared to conventional toxoid vaccines[5][2][6]. The main mechanism of action involves stimulating an immune response against the receptor-binding domain of the toxin, thereby preventing its uptake by neurons.

Other names

recombinant tetanus toxin vaccinerTTHc-based tetanus vaccinerecombinant THc subunit vaccine