Hafion is start-up coming out of University of Kansas company organized around completing proof of concept and more for vaccines based on basic research performed in the KU labs. An initial area of focus is Whooping cough (pertussis), a once presumed conquered disease, that is re-emerging because the vaccine is not effective at preventing infection. This acellular vaccine (aP) only stops symptoms and protection is short-lived. A Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study published in Pediatrics (Feb 2106) found that just three years after vaccination with the aP vaccine and booster, teenagers had lost virtually all of the vaccines protection, and more than 90% were susceptible to infection. The resurgence of pertussis due to the ineffective aP is resulting in infants and toddlers not only contracting the disease but dying from the side-effects of the severe whooping cough. The Hafion pertussis vaccine prevents infection, not just the symptoms. The formulation is a simple, 3-4 component vaccine requiring a single administration.
