Solution in sight for age-old problem

Volume 10 Number 11 November 10 - December 7 2014

Scène d’épouillage (Delousing scene). Detail of 1662 painting Cour de ferme (Farmyard) by Jan Siberechts, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles
Scène d’épouillage (Delousing scene). Detail of 1662 painting Cour de ferme (Farmyard) by Jan Siberechts, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles

For over 2000 years, the fine-tooth comb has been the only truly effective weapon against head lice. Now researchers have developed a new, commercially viable, safe and effective solution that will put paid to this arduous and time-consuming approach to delousing. By Gabrielle Murphy

When archaeologists excavated a wooden fine-tooth comb from Antinoë in Egypt, and New Zealand-based entomologist Ricardo Palma recovered head lice and eggs from the debris it was encased in, he came to the inevitable conclusion shared by parents around the world and across centuries.

“The effectiveness of fine-toothed combs as delousing instruments can hardly be overstated,” says Dr Palma on his website Headlice.Org. 

“Modern combs differ very little in shape and dimensions from their ancient counterparts, and they are still regarded as among the most effective, and indeed the safest, methods of head lice control.”

Efficacy is probably the only positive attached to this time-honoured method of delousing though. As anyone faced with the shocking realisation of parasitic lice infestation in their family knows, the time required to overcome the problem is onerous in the extreme.

Enter Vern Bowles, Deputy Director of the Centre for Animal Biotechnology in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and founder and Chief Scientific Officer of pharmaceutical company Hatchtech.

Much of Associate Professor Bowles’ research career has been devoted to studying parasite infections.

“Having worked for a number of years investigating novel control strategies against both external and internal parasites in sheep, in 2001, with the aid of Uniseed funding, we were able to commence research aimed at solving the intractable problem of head lice in children,” Dr Bowles says. “The need was real, and the market opportunity compelling.”

Since forming in 2001, Hatchtech has conducted an extensive development program – both clinical and non-clinical – for a new drug application to be filed with the Food and Drug Administration in the United States in mid-2015. The trademarked product, which researchers have named Xeglyze, is a new topical lotion that has proven successful in killing head lice and their eggs in a single 10-minute application – without the need for nit combing. 

“You simply apply the product to dry hair, leave it in for 10 minutes, and wash out with water,” Dr Bowles says.

According to Hatchtech Chief Executive Officer Hugh Alsop, two studies conducted in the phase 3 of testing confirm the safety and efficacy of the product. 

“Of subjects treated with the new lotion, 81.5 per cent were free from head lice 14 days after the single treatment,” Mr Alsop says. “Importantly, these were double-blind, randomised, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group studies in subjects aged from six months and above with an active head lice infestation.”

Combined with results from a recent Phase 2 clinical study that demonstrated 100 per cent efficacy of the new lotion against head lice eggs, researchers point to compelling evidence of its ability to safely do what other products cannot.

“Currently approved products on the market generally have little or no efficacy against eggs,” Dr Bowles says. “So if they are not physically removed from the hair, an infestation will quickly return, and hence the need for multiple treatments and nit combing to kill the newly emerged lice.” 

Speaking to the broader question of universities and commercialisation, Dr Bowles believes opportunities exist for researchers to access funding through organisations such as Uniseed and, depending on the technology, source additional funds by syndicating with other funding sources, which is what took place with Hatchtech. 

“The University provides a rich source of ideas and high quality science which gives a solid foundation for creating new opportunities,” Dr Bowles says. “As the skills base of individuals who understand the science and can combine this with sound commercial experience expands, the potential exists for further development within this sector.

“While clearly not all science lends itself to a product opportunity, the continued funding of basic science and curiosity-driven research is vital to knowledge creation and it is from this base that new opportunities can arise.”

www.fvas.unimelb.edu.au

 

www.uniseed.com.au