14 DAY TRIAL // A study carried out by a University of Texas researchers found that the vaccine against the deadly toxin obtained from ricin seeds is safe and efficient, BBC reported.
Ricin is poisonous if inhaled, injected, or ingested, acting as a toxin by the inhibition of protein synthesis.
Exposure to small amounts can lead to rapid lung damage if inhaled, rapid onset of nausea, fever, and abdominal pain if ingested, and general organ failure leading to death within several days.
According to the press release from the developer of the vaccine, DOR BioPharma, the new product leads to the production of antibodies which neutralize the ricin and is well tolerated by humans.
The vaccine is called RiVax and has been successfully tested on 15 volunteers who didn't experience any significant side-effects.
This poison was used in 1978 by the Bulgarian secret police with the help of a modified umbrella to assassinate Gheorghi Markov, a dissident in London.
According to some documents discovered by investigators in Kabul five years ago, the al-Qaeda terrorist network might have planned to use this toxin.
Currently, the antibodies resist for 127 days since the vaccination, but the researchers said the next step will be made in this direction.
"Now we need to tinker with the vaccine dose and formulation to give the longest-lasting and most robust immunity," Dr Ellen Vitetta, head of the research team, said.