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.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9121464 | DOI Listing |
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 PDFHeliyon
January 2025
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Gregorio Marañón University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
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).
Curr Drug Deliv
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University of M.P.), Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, 470003, India.
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 PDFJ Infect
January 2025
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
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.
Viruses
January 2025
Department of Microbiology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
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.
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