mRNA Vaccine Protects against Zika Virus.

Vaccines (Basel)

Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Published: December 2021

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has recently triggered global concern due to severe health complications. In 2015, a large ZIKV outbreak occurred in the Americas and established a link between ZIKV and microcephaly in newborn babies, spontaneous abortion, persistent viremia, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. While antivirals are being developed and prevention strategies focus on vector control, a safe and effective Zika vaccine remains unavailable. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology has arisen as a flexible, simplified, and fast vaccine production platform. Here, we report on an mRNA vaccine candidate that encodes the pre-membrane and envelope (prM-E) glycoproteins of ZIKV strain Brazil SPH2015 and is encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Our ZIKV prM-E mRNA-LNP vaccine candidate induced antibody responses that protected in AG129 mice deficient in interferon (IFN) alpha/beta/gamma (IFN-α/β/γ) receptors. Notably, a single administration of ZIKV prM-E mRNA-LNP protected against a lethal dose of ZIKV, while a two-dose strategy induced strong protective immunity. E-specific double-positive IFN-γ and TNF-α T-cells were induced in BALB/c mice after immunizations with a two-dose strategy. With the success of mRNA vaccine technology in facing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, our data support the development of prM-E RNActive as a promising mRNA vaccine against Zika to counter future epidemics.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8707647PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9121464DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

mrna vaccine
20
zika virus
8
vaccine technology
8
vaccine candidate
8
zikv prm-e
8
prm-e mrna-lnp
8
two-dose strategy
8
zikv
7
vaccine
7
mrna
5

Similar Publications

Reducing off-target expression of mRNA therapeutics and vaccines in the liver with microRNA binding sites.

Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev

March 2025

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are often liver tropic, presenting challenges for LNP-delivered mRNA therapeutics intended for other tissues, as off-target expression in the liver may increase side effects and modulate immune responses. To avoid off-target expression in the liver, miR-122 binding sites have been used by others in viral and non-viral therapeutics. Here, we use a luciferase reporter system to compare different copy numbers and insertion locations of miR-122 binding sequences to restrict liver expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this prospective cohort study is to analyse the humoral and cellular vaccine responses in paediatric heart transplant recipients (HTR, n = 12), and compare it with the response in healthy controls (HC, n = 14). All participants were 5-18 years old and vaccinated with mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 between December 2021 and May 2022.

Methods: The humoral response was measured by quantifying antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-S).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In recent years, there have been notable strides in developing mRNA vaccines, resulting in the creation of potent immunizations against diverse diseases. This review examines the most recent advancements in this field, focusing on their implications for future vaccine development. The pursuit of heightened vaccine efficacy is investigated through cutting-edge methods in adjuvant selection, delivery system optimization, and antigen selection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) introduced in childhood national immunization programs lowered vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but replacement with non-vaccine-types persisted throughout the PCV10/13 follow-up period. We assessed PCV10/13 impact on pneumococcal meningitis incidence globally.

Methods: The number of cases with serotyped pneumococci detected in cerebrospinal fluid and population denominators were obtained from surveillance sites globally.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The emergence of new variants and diverse vaccination regimens have raised uncertainty about vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to investigate the impact of Omicron primo-/reinfection and primary vaccination schedules on the immunogenicity of an mRNA-based booster dose over a six-month period. We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess the durability and level of antibodies of 678 healthcare workers fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!