Meeting Report: Controlled Human Influenza Virus Infection Model Studies: Current Status and Future Directions for Innovation.

On November 13-14, 2023, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in partnership with the Task Force for Global Health, Flu Lab, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a meeting on controlled human influenza virus infection model (CHIVIM) studies to review the current research landscape of CHIVIM studies and to generate actionable next steps. Presentations and panel discussions highlighted CHIVIM use cases, regulatory and ethical considerations, innovations, networks and standardization, and the utility of using CHIVIM in vaccine development. This report summarizes the presentations, discussions, key takeaways, and future directions for innovations in CHIVIMs.

Durability of mRNA-1273 vaccine-induced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutations may diminish vaccine-induced protective immune responses, particularly as antibody titers wane over time. Here, we assess the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.

Durability of mRNA-1273-induced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Unlabelled: SARS-CoV-2 mutations may diminish vaccine-induced protective immune responses, and the durability of such responses has not been previously reported. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the impact of variants B.1.

Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults.

Background: Testing of vaccine candidates to prevent infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an older population is important, since increased incidences of illness and death from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have been associated with an older age.

Methods: We conducted a phase 1, dose-escalation, open-label trial of a messenger RNA vaccine, mRNA-1273, which encodes the stabilized prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S-2P) in healthy adults. The trial was expanded to include 40 older adults, who were stratified according to age (56 to 70 years or ≥71 years).

Intranasal Live Influenza Vaccine Priming Elicits Localized B Cell Responses in Mediastinal Lymph Nodes.

Pandemic live attenuated influenza vaccines (pLAIV) prime subjects for a robust neutralizing antibody response upon subsequent administration of a pandemic inactivated subunit vaccine (pISV). However, a difference was not detected in H5-specific memory B cells in the peripheral blood between pLAIV-primed and unprimed subjects prior to pISV boost. To investigate the mechanism underlying pLAIV priming, we vaccinated groups of 12 African green monkeys (AGMs) with H5N1 pISV or pLAIV alone or H5N1 pLAIV followed by pISV and examined immunity systemically and in local draining lymph nodes (LN).

In a randomized trial, the live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine TV003 is well-tolerated and highly immunogenic in subjects with flavivirus exposure prior to vaccination.

Unlabelled: Infection caused by the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV-1-4) is a leading cause of mosquito-borne disease. Clinically-severe dengue disease is more common when secondary dengue infection occurs following prior infection with a heterologous dengue serotype. Other flaviviruses such as yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and Zika virus, can also elicit antibodies which are cross-reactive to DENV.

A Live Attenuated Chimeric West Nile Virus Vaccine, rWN/DEN4Δ30, Is Well Tolerated and Immunogenic in Flavivirus-Naive Older Adult Volunteers.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a major cause of mosquito-borne illness in the United States. Human disease ranges from mild febrile illness to severe fatal neurologic infection. Adults aged >60 years are more susceptible to neuroinvasive disease accompanied by a high mortality rate or long-lasting neurologic sequelae.

The live attenuated dengue vaccine TV003 elicits complete protection against dengue in a human challenge model.

A dengue human challenge model can be an important tool to identify candidate dengue vaccines that should be further evaluated in large efficacy trials in endemic areas. Dengue is responsible for about 390 million infections annually. Protective efficacy results for the most advanced dengue vaccine candidate (CYD) were disappointing despite its ability to induce neutralizing antibodies against all four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes.

A 12-Month-Interval Dosing Study in Adults Indicates That a Single Dose of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine Induces a Robust Neutralizing Antibody Response.

Unlabelled: The ideal dengue vaccine will provide protection against all serotypes of dengue virus and will be economical and uncomplicated in its administration. To determine the ability of a single dose of the live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine TV003 to induce a suitable neutralizing antibody response, a placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 48 healthy adults who received 2 doses of vaccine or placebo administered 12 months apart. Evaluation of safety, vaccine viremia, and neutralizing antibody response after each dose indicated that the first dose of vaccine was capable of preventing infection with the second dose, thus indicating that multiple doses are unnecessary.

Boosted Influenza-Specific T Cell Responses after H5N1 Pandemic Live Attenuated Influenza Virus Vaccination.

Background: In a phase I clinical trial, a H5N1 pandemic live attenuated influenza virus (pLAIV) VN2004 vaccine bearing avian influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA) and NA genes on the A/Ann Arbor cold-adapted vaccine backbone displayed very restricted replication. We evaluated T cell responses to H5N1 pLAIV vaccination and assessed pre-existing T cell responses to determine whether they were associated with restricted replication of the H5N1 pLAIV.

Method: ELISPOT assays were performed using pools of overlapping peptides spanning the entire H5N1 proteome and the HA proteins of relevant seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 viruses.

Robust and Balanced Immune Responses to All 4 Dengue Virus Serotypes Following Administration of a Single Dose of a Live Attenuated Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine to Healthy, Flavivirus-Naive Adults.

Background: The 4 serotypes of dengue virus, DENV-1-4, are the leading cause of arboviral disease globally. The ideal dengue vaccine would provide protection against all serotypes after a single dose.

Methods: Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials were performed with 168 flavivirus-naive adults to demonstrate the safety and immunogenicity of a live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (TV003), compared with those of a second tetravalent vaccine with an enhanced DENV-2 component (TV005), and to evaluate the benefit of a booster dose at 6 months.

Live attenuated and inactivated influenza vaccines in children.

Background: Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) and inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) are available for children. Local and systemic immunity induced by LAIV followed a month later by LAIV and IIV followed by LAIV were investigated with virus recovery after LAIV doses as surrogates for protection against influenza on natural exposure.

Methods: Fifteen children received IIV followed by LAIV, 13 an initial dose of LAIV, and 11 a second dose of LAIV.

Development of live attenuated influenza vaccines against pandemic influenza strains.

Avian and animal influenza viruses can sporadically transmit to humans, causing outbreaks of varying severity. In some cases, further human-to-human virus transmission does not occur, and the outbreak in humans is limited. In other cases, sustained human-to-human transmission occurs, resulting in worldwide influenza pandemics.

Improving pandemic H5N1 influenza vaccines by combining different vaccine platforms.

A variety of platforms are being explored for the development of vaccines for pandemic influenza. Observations that traditional inactivated subvirion vaccines and live-attenuated vaccines against H5 and some H7 influenza viruses were poorly immunogenic spurred efforts to evaluate new approaches, including whole virus vaccines, higher doses of antigen, addition of adjuvants and combinations of different vaccine modalities in heterologous prime-boost regimens to potentiate immune responses. Results from clinical trials of prime-boost regimens have been very promising.

A live attenuated influenza A(H5N1) vaccine induces long-term immunity in the absence of a primary antibody response.

Background: Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) causes severe infections in humans. We generated 2 influenza A(H5N1) live attenuated influenza vaccines for pandemic use (pLAIVs), but they failed to elicit a primary immune response. Our objective was to determine whether the vaccines primed or established long-lasting immunity that could be detected by administration of inactivated subvirion influenza A(H5N1) vaccine (ISIV).

H5N1 vaccines in humans.

The spread of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses since 1997 and their virulence for poultry and humans has raised concerns about their potential to cause an influenza pandemic. Vaccines offer the most viable means to combat a pandemic threat. However, it will be a challenge to produce, distribute and implement a new vaccine if a pandemic spreads rapidly.

B cell response and hemagglutinin stalk-reactive antibody production in different age cohorts following 2009 H1N1 influenza virus vaccination.

The 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza virus carried a swine-origin hemagglutinin (HA) that was closely related to the HAs of pre-1947 H1N1 viruses but highly divergent from the HAs of recently circulating H1N1 strains. Consequently, prior exposure to pH1N1-like viruses was mostly limited to individuals over the age of about 60 years. We related age and associated differences in immune history to the B cell response to an inactivated monovalent pH1N1 vaccine given intramuscularly to subjects in three age cohorts: 18 to 32 years, 60 to 69 years, and ≥70 years.

A single dose of any of four different live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccines is safe and immunogenic in flavivirus-naive adults: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) causes hundreds of millions of infections annually. Four dengue serotypes exist, and previous infection with one serotype increases the likelihood of severe disease with a second, heterotypic DENV infection.

Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, the safety and immunogenicity of 4 different admixtures of a live attenuated tetravalent (LATV) dengue vaccine were evaluated in 113 flavivirus-naive adults.

An open-label phase I trial of a live attenuated H2N2 influenza virus vaccine in healthy adults.

Background: Live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) against a variety of strains of pandemic potential are being developed and tested. We describe the results of an open-label phase I trial of a live attenuated H2N2 virus vaccine.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety, infectivity, and immunogenicity of a live attenuated H2N2 influenza virus vaccine.

An open label Phase I trial of a live attenuated H6N1 influenza virus vaccine in healthy adults.

Background: We describe the results of an open label Phase I trial of a live attenuated H6N1 influenza virus vaccine (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00734175).

Methods And Findings: We evaluated the safety, infectivity, and immunogenicity of two doses of 10(7) TCID(50) of the H6N1 Teal HK 97/AA ca vaccine, a cold-adapted and temperature sensitive live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in healthy seronegative adults.

Heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies are produced by individuals immunized with a seasonal influenza vaccine.

The target of neutralizing antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection is the viral protein HA. Genetic and antigenic variation in HA has been used to classify influenza viruses into subtypes (H1-H16). The neutralizing antibody response to influenza virus is thought to be specific for a few antigenically related isolates within a given subtype.

A live attenuated H7N3 influenza virus vaccine is well tolerated and immunogenic in a Phase I trial in healthy adults.

Background: Live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) are being developed and tested against a variety of influenza viruses with pandemic potential. We describe the results of an open-label Phase I trial of a live attenuated H7N3 virus vaccine.

Methods And Findings: The H7N3 BC 2004/AA ca virus is a live attenuated, cold-adapted, temperature-sensitive influenza virus derived by reverse genetics from the wild-type low pathogenicity avian influenza virus A/chicken/British Columbia/CN-6/2004 (H7N3) and the A/AA/6/60 ca (H2N2) virus that is the Master Donor Virus of the live, intranasal seasonal influenza vaccine.