Varanasi: A research carried out by the scientists of the School of Biochemical Engineering of IIT-BHU, in collaboration with the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU brings a ray of hope for a vaccine against Kala-Azar, a major health challenge in India caused by Leishmania parasite. The scientists including Prof Vikash Kumar Dubey of the School of Biochemical Engineering and Prof Shyam Sundar of the department of medicine, IMS, investigated and tested a new recombinant vaccine against Leishmania parasite that halts the progression of the infection. Dr Sunita Yadav, a National Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof Dubey, is lead investigator. Prof Dubey said that the prophylactic potential of this vaccine was evaluated in preclinical studies in mice model that showed a significant reduction in parasite load in liver and spleen organs of vaccinated infected mice than infected control mice. “Clearance of the parasite burden in vaccinated challenged mice is correlated with immune response expected in a vaccine candidate,” said Professor Vikash Kumar Dubey. It is a type of defence mechanism that happens in our body after vaccination and helpful for prevention of disease progression. This research has been recently reported in the prestigious journal “Cellular Immunology”.