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Fang E, Liu X, Li M, Zhang Z, Song L, Zhu B, Wu X, Liu J, Zhao D, Li Y. Advances in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:94. [PMID: 35322018 PMCID: PMC8940982 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-00950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 93.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has determined 399,600,607 cases and 5,757,562 deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is a serious threat to human health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 pandemic a major public health emergency. Vaccination is the most effective and economical intervention for controlling the spread of epidemics, and consequently saving lives and protecting the health of the population. Various techniques have been employed in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Among these, the COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine has been drawing increasing attention owing to its great application prospects and advantages, which include short development cycle, easy industrialization, simple production process, flexibility to respond to new variants, and the capacity to induce better immune response. This review summarizes current knowledge on the structural characteristics, antigen design strategies, delivery systems, industrialization potential, quality control, latest clinical trials and real-world data of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as well as mRNA technology. Current challenges and future directions in the development of preventive mRNA vaccines for major infectious diseases are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enyue Fang
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
- Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430207, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Miao Li
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Zelun Zhang
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Lifang Song
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Baiyu Zhu
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xiaohong Wu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Danhua Zhao
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China
| | - Yuhua Li
- National Institute for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, 102629, China.
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52
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Zhang C, Ma Y, Zhang J, Kuo JCT, Zhang Z, Xie H, Zhu J, Liu T. Modification of Lipid-Based Nanoparticles: An Efficient Delivery System for Nucleic Acid-Based Immunotherapy. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27061943. [PMID: 35335310 PMCID: PMC8949521 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27061943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid-based nanoparticles (LBNPs) are biocompatible and biodegradable vesicles that are considered to be one of the most efficient drug delivery platforms. Due to the prominent advantages, such as long circulation time, slow drug release, reduced toxicity, high transfection efficiency, and endosomal escape capacity, such synthetic nanoparticles have been widely used for carrying genetic therapeutics, particularly nucleic acids that can be applied in the treatment for various diseases, including congenital diseases, cancers, virus infections, and chronic inflammations. Despite great merits and multiple successful applications, many extracellular and intracellular barriers remain and greatly impair delivery efficacy and therapeutic outcomes. As such, the current state of knowledge and pitfalls regarding the gene delivery and construction of LBNPs will be initially summarized. In order to develop a new generation of LBNPs for improved delivery profiles and therapeutic effects, the modification strategies of LBNPs will be reviewed. On the basis of these developed modifications, the performance of LBNPs as therapeutic nanoplatforms have been greatly improved and extensively applied in immunotherapies, including infectious diseases and cancers. However, the therapeutic applications of LBNPs systems are still limited due to the undesirable endosomal escape, potential aggregation, and the inefficient encapsulation of therapeutics. Herein, we will review and discuss recent advances and remaining challenges in the development of LBNPs for nucleic acid-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (C.Z.); (J.C.-T.K.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Yifan Ma
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (Y.M.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (Y.M.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jimmy Chun-Tien Kuo
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (C.Z.); (J.C.-T.K.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Zhongkun Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (C.Z.); (J.C.-T.K.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Haotian Xie
- Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Jing Zhu
- College of Nursing and Health Innovation, The University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX 76010, USA
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (T.L.); Tel.: +1-614-570-1164 (J.Z.); +86-186-6501-3854 (T.L.)
| | - Tongzheng Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (T.L.); Tel.: +1-614-570-1164 (J.Z.); +86-186-6501-3854 (T.L.)
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53
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Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems to Enable mRNA-Based Therapeutics. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14020398. [PMID: 35214130 PMCID: PMC8876479 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The world raced to develop vaccines to protect against the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection upon the recognition of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. A broad spectrum of candidates was evaluated, with mRNA-based vaccines emerging as leaders due to how quickly they were available for emergency use while providing a high level of efficacy. As a modular technology, the mRNA-based vaccines benefitted from decades of advancements in both mRNA and delivery technology prior to the current global pandemic. The fundamental lessons of the utility of mRNA as a therapeutic were pioneered by Dr. Katalin Kariko and her colleagues, perhaps most notably in collaboration with Drew Weissman at University of Pennsylvania, and this foundational work paved the way for the development of the first ever mRNA-based therapeutic authorized for human use, COMIRNATY®. In this Special Issue of Pharmaceutics, we will be honoring Dr. Kariko for her great contributions to the mRNA technology to treat diseases with unmet needs. In this review article, we will focus on the delivery platform, the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) carrier, which allowed the potential of mRNA therapeutics to be realized. Similar to the mRNA technology, the development of LNP systems has been ongoing for decades before culminating in the success of the first clinically approved siRNA-LNP product, ONPATTRO®, a treatment for an otherwise fatal genetic disease called transthyretin amyloidosis. Lessons learned from the siRNA-LNP experience enabled the translation into the mRNA platform with the eventual authorization and approval of the mRNA-LNP vaccines against COVID-19. This marks the beginning of mRNA-LNP as a pharmaceutical option to treat genetic diseases.
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Anderluzzi G, Lou G, Woods S, Schmidt ST, Gallorini S, Brazzoli M, Johnson R, Roberts CW, O'Hagan DT, Baudner BC, Perrie Y. The role of nanoparticle format and route of administration on self-amplifying mRNA vaccine potency. J Control Release 2022; 342:388-399. [PMID: 34896446 PMCID: PMC8660137 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of RNA-based vaccines has been recently demonstrated, leading to the use of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. The application of self-amplifying mRNA within these formulations may offer further enhancement to these vaccines, as self-amplifying mRNA replicons enable longer expression kinetics and more potent immune responses compared to non-amplifying mRNAs. To investigate the impact of administration route on RNA-vaccine potency, we investigated the immunogenicity of a self-amplifying mRNA encoding the rabies virus glycoprotein encapsulated in different nanoparticle platforms (solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)). These were administered via three different routes: intramuscular, intradermal and intranasal. Our studies in a mouse model show that the immunogenicity of our 4 different saRNA vaccine formulations after intramuscular or intradermal administration was initially comparable; however, ionizable LNPs gave higher long-term IgG responses. The clearance of all 4 of the nanoparticle formulations from the intramuscular or intradermal administration site was similar. In contrast, immune responses generated after intranasal was low and coupled with rapid clearance for the administration site, irrespective of the formulation. These results demonstrate that both the administration route and delivery system format dictate self-amplifying RNA vaccine efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Anderluzzi
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK; GSK, Siena, Italy
| | - Gustavo Lou
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK; GSK, Siena, Italy
| | - Stuart Woods
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK
| | - Signe Tandrup Schmidt
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK; Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Center for Vaccine Research, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Craig W Roberts
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | - Yvonne Perrie
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., Glasgow G4 0RE, Scotland, UK.
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55
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Cable J, Rappuoli R, Klemm EJ, Kang G, Mutreja A, Wright GJ, Pizza M, Castro SA, Hoffmann JP, Alter G, Carfi A, Pollard AJ, Krammer F, Gupta RK, Wagner CE, Machado V, Modjarrad K, Corey L, B Gilbert P, Dougan G, Lurie N, Bjorkman PJ, Chiu C, Nemes E, Gordon SB, Steer AC, Rudel T, Blish CA, Sandberg JT, Brennan K, Klugman KP, Stuart LM, Madhi SA, Karp CL. Innovative vaccine approaches-a Keystone Symposia report. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1511:59-86. [PMID: 35029310 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines was the result of decades of research to establish flexible vaccine platforms and understand pathogens with pandemic potential, as well as several novel changes to the vaccine discovery and development processes that partnered industry and governments. And while vaccines offer the potential to drastically improve global health, low-and-middle-income countries around the world often experience reduced access to vaccines and reduced vaccine efficacy. Addressing these issues will require novel vaccine approaches and platforms, deeper insight how vaccines mediate protection, and innovative trial designs and models. On June 28-30, 2021, experts in vaccine research, development, manufacturing, and deployment met virtually for the Keystone eSymposium "Innovative Vaccine Approaches" to discuss advances in vaccine research and development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gagandeep Kang
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Ankur Mutreja
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID) and Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gavin J Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.,Department of Biology, Hull York Medical School, and York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - Sowmya Ajay Castro
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Joseph P Hoffmann
- Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Infection and Inflammation, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Galit Alter
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Andrew J Pollard
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Florian Krammer
- The Tisch Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ravindra K Gupta
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID) and Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
| | - Caroline E Wagner
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Viviane Machado
- Measles and Respiratory Viruses Laboratory, WHO/NIC, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kayvon Modjarrad
- Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Lawrence Corey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Peter B Gilbert
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Gordon Dougan
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID) and Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicole Lurie
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Christopher Chiu
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Elisa Nemes
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Andrew C Steer
- Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of General Medicine, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Microbiology Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Catherine A Blish
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California
| | - John Tyler Sandberg
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kiva Brennan
- National Children's Research Centre, Crumlin and School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Keith P Klugman
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lynda M Stuart
- Immunology Program, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, Washington.,Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington
| | - Shabir A Madhi
- South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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56
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A self-amplifying mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate induces safe and robust protective immunity in preclinical models. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1897-1912. [PMID: 34990810 PMCID: PMC8721936 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA vaccines have demonstrated efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in humans, and the technology is being leveraged for rapid emergency response. In this report, we assessed immunogenicity and, for the first time, toxicity, biodistribution, and protective efficacy in preclinical models of a two-dose self-amplifying messenger RNA (SAM) vaccine, encoding a prefusion-stabilized spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 strain and delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). In mice, one immunization with the SAM vaccine elicited a robust spike-specific antibody response, which was further boosted by a second immunization, and effectively neutralized the matched SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain as well as B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta) and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants. High frequencies of spike-specific germinal center B, Th0/Th1 CD4, and CD8 T cell responses were observed in mice. Local tolerance, potential systemic toxicity, and biodistribution of the vaccine were characterized in rats. In hamsters, the vaccine candidate was well-tolerated, markedly reduced viral load in the upper and lower airways, and protected animals against disease in a dose-dependent manner, with no evidence of disease enhancement following SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Therefore, the SARS-CoV-2 SAM (LNP) vaccine candidate has a favorable safety profile, elicits robust protective immune responses against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, and has been advanced to phase 1 clinical evaluation (NCT04758962).
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57
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Clinical Development of mRNA Vaccines: Challenges and Opportunities. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2022; 440:167-186. [PMID: 35906319 DOI: 10.1007/82_2022_259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of safe and effective mRNA platform-based COVID-19 vaccines from the recent pandemic has changed the face of vaccine development. Compared with conventional technologies used historically, mRNA-based vaccines offer a rapid flexible and robust approach to preventing disease caused by transient viral strains such as SAR2-CoV-2 variants of concern and seasonal influenza. Adaptations in the formulation of the mRNA delivery systems such as with lipid nanoparticle delivery (LNP) used in mRNA-1273 and BNT16b2b have enabled this technology to flourish under the urgent collective response and collaborative regulatory understanding derived from COVID-19 vaccine development. The application of mRNA-based therapeutics in other areas holds potential promise including combination vaccines that might deliver protections against multiple infectious diseases. Future studies and further advances in mRNA-based technologies will provide insight into the clinical efficacy and real-world effectiveness of vaccines as well as provisions with respect to the impact of reactogenicity profiles. Overall, the success of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines has helped unlock a platform likely to result in many more candidate vaccines entering clinical evaluation to address the unmet medical needs of other diseases including viral respiratory diseases, herpesviruses, and historically challenging vaccine targets such as HIV.
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58
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Alameh MG, Weissman D, Pardi N. Messenger RNA-Based Vaccines Against Infectious Diseases. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2022; 440:111-145. [PMID: 32300916 DOI: 10.1007/82_2020_202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In vitro-transcribed, messenger RNA-based infectious disease vaccines have the potential to successfully address many of the weaknesses of traditional vaccine platforms, such as the lack of potency and/or durability of vaccine protection, time-consuming, and expensive manufacturing, and, in some cases, safety issues. This optimism is fueled by a great deal of impressive recent data demonstrating that mRNA vaccines have many of the attributes that are necessary for a viable new vaccine class for human use. This review briefly describes mRNA vaccine types, discusses the most relevant and recent publications on infectious disease mRNA vaccines, and highlights the hurdles that need to be overcome to bring this promising novel vaccine modality to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Norbert Pardi
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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Abstract
Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide, and vaccines are the cheapest and efficient approach to preventing diseases. Use of conventional vaccination strategies such as live, attenuated, and subunit has limitations as it does not fully provide protection against many infectious diseases. Hence, there was a need for the development of a new vaccination strategy. Use of nucleic acids-DNA and RNA-has emerged as promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches. Knowledge of mRNA biology, chemistry, and delivery systems in recent years have enabled mRNA to become a promising vaccine candidate. One of the advantages of a mRNA vaccine is that clinical batches can be generated after the availability of a sequence encoding the immunogen. The process is cell-free and scalable. mRNA is a noninfectious, nonintegrating molecule and there is no potential risk of infection or mutagenesis. mRNA is degraded by normal cellular processes, and its in vivo half-life can be regulated by different modifications and delivery methods. The efficacy can be increased by modifications of the nucleosides that can make mRNA more stable and highly translatable. Efficient in vivo delivery can be achieved by formulating mRNA into carrier molecules, allowing rapid uptake and expression in the cytoplasm. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019 and spread globally, prompting an international effort to accelerate development of a vaccine. The spike (S) glycoprotein mediates host cell attachment and is required for viral entry; it is the primary vaccine target for many candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Development of a lipid nanoparticle encapsulated mRNA vaccine that encodes the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein stabilized in its prefusion conformation conferred 95% protection against Covid-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Thomas
- Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA, USA.
| | - Ann Abraham
- Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA, USA
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60
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Nitika, Wei J, Hui AM. The Development of mRNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases: Recent Updates. Infect Drug Resist 2021; 14:5271-5285. [PMID: 34916811 PMCID: PMC8668227 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s341694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
mRNA-based technologies have been of interest for the past few years to be used for therapeutics. Several mRNA vaccines for various diseases have been in preclinical and clinical stages. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence of mRNA vaccines has transformed modern science. Recently, two major mRNA vaccines have been developed and approved by global health authorities for administration on the general population for protection against SARS-CoV-2. They have been proven to be successful in conferring protection against the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants. This will draw attention to various mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases that are in the early stages of clinical trials. mRNA vaccines offer several advantages ranging from rapid design, generation, manufacturing, and administration and have strong potential to be used against various diseases in the future. Here, we summarize the mRNA-based vaccines in development against various infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitika
- Fosun Pharma USA Inc., Boston, MA, USA.,Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development, Co., Ltd., Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Wei
- Fosun Pharma USA Inc., Boston, MA, USA.,Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development, Co., Ltd., Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ai-Min Hui
- Fosun Pharma USA Inc., Boston, MA, USA.,Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development, Co., Ltd., Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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61
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Chivukula S, Plitnik T, Tibbitts T, Karve S, Dias A, Zhang D, Goldman R, Gopani H, Khanmohammed A, Sarode A, Cooper D, Yoon H, Kim Y, Yan Y, Mundle ST, Groppo R, Beauvais A, Zhang J, Anosova NG, Lai C, Li L, Ulinski G, Piepenhagen P, DiNapoli J, Kalnin KV, Landolfi V, Swearingen R, Fu TM, DeRosa F, Casimiro D. Development of multivalent mRNA vaccine candidates for seasonal or pandemic influenza. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:153. [PMID: 34916519 PMCID: PMC8677760 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00420-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent approval of mRNA vaccines for emergency use against COVID-19 is likely to promote rapid development of mRNA-based vaccines targeting a wide range of infectious diseases. Compared to conventional approaches, this vaccine modality promises comparable potency while substantially accelerating the pace of development and deployment of vaccine doses. Already demonstrated successfully for single antigen vaccines such as for COVID-19, this technology could be optimized for complex multi-antigen vaccines. Herein, utilizing multiple influenza antigens, we demonstrated the suitability of the mRNA therapeutic (MRT) platform for such applications. Seasonal influenza vaccines have three or four hemagglutinin (HA) antigens of different viral subtypes. In addition, influenza neuraminidase (NA), a tetrameric membrane protein, is identified as an antigen that has been linked to protective immunity against severe viral disease. We detail the efforts in optimizing formulations of influenza candidates that use unmodified mRNA encoding full-length HA or full-length NA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). HA and NA mRNA-LNP formulations, either as monovalent or as multivalent vaccines, induced strong functional antibody and cellular responses in non-human primates and such antigen-specific antibody responses were associated with protective efficacy against viral challenge in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Anusha Dias
- Translate Bio, a Sanofi Company, Lexington, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lu Li
- Sanofi Pasteur, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tong-Ming Fu
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Frank DeRosa
- Translate Bio, a Sanofi Company, Lexington, MA, USA
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62
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Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariagrazia Pizza
- Research and Development Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Simone Pecetta
- Research and Development Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Rino Rappuoli
- Research and Development Centre, GlaxoSmithKline, 53100 Siena, Italy
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63
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Murugan C, Ramamoorthy S, Kuppuswamy G, Murugan RK, Sivalingam Y, Sundaramurthy A. COVID-19: A review of newly formed viral clades, pathophysiology, therapeutic strategies and current vaccination tasks. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 193:1165-1200. [PMID: 34710479 PMCID: PMC8545698 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Today, the world population is facing an existential threat by an invisible enemy known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) or COVID-19. It is highly contagious and has infected a larger fraction of human population across the globe on various routes of transmission. The detailed knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 structure and clinical aspects offers an important insight into the evolution of infection, disease progression and helps in executing the different therapies effectively. Herein, we have discussed in detail about the genome structure of SARS-CoV-2 and its role in the proteomic rational spread of different muted species and pathogenesis in infecting the host cells. The mechanisms behind the viral outbreak and its immune response, the availability of existing diagnostics techniques, the treatment efficacy of repurposed drugs and the emerging vaccine trials for the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak also have been highlighted. Furthermore, the possible antiviral effects of various herbal products and their extracted molecules in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication and cellular entry are also reported. Finally, we conclude our opinion on current challenges involved in the drug development, bulk production of drug/vaccines and their storage requirements, logistical procedures and limitations related to dosage trials for larger population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandran Murugan
- SRM Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sharmiladevi Ramamoorthy
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Guruprasad Kuppuswamy
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar Murugan
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Yuvaraj Sivalingam
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy
- SRM Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
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64
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Baptista B, Carapito R, Laroui N, Pichon C, Sousa F. mRNA, a Revolution in Biomedicine. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:2090. [PMID: 34959371 PMCID: PMC8707022 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13122090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The perspective of using messenger RNA (mRNA) as a therapeutic molecule first faced some uncertainties due to concerns about its instability and the feasibility of large-scale production. Today, given technological advances and deeper biomolecular knowledge, these issues have started to be addressed and some strategies are being exploited to overcome the limitations. Thus, the potential of mRNA has become increasingly recognized for the development of new innovative therapeutics, envisioning its application in immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, vaccination, and gene editing. Nonetheless, to fully potentiate mRNA therapeutic application, its efficient production, stabilization and delivery into the target cells are required. In recent years, intensive research has been carried out in this field in order to bring new and effective solutions towards the stabilization and delivery of mRNA. Presently, the therapeutic potential of mRNA is undoubtedly recognized, which was greatly reinforced by the results achieved in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still some issues that need to be improved, which are critically discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Baptista
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (B.B.); (R.C.)
| | - Rita Carapito
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (B.B.); (R.C.)
| | - Nabila Laroui
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire (CBM), UPR 4301 CNRS, University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans, France;
| | - Chantal Pichon
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire (CBM), UPR 4301 CNRS, University of Orléans, 45071 Orléans, France;
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal; (B.B.); (R.C.)
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65
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Mohammadi G, Sotoudehnia Koranni Z, Jebali A. The oral vaccine based on self-replicating RNA lipid nanoparticles can simultaneously neutralize both SARS-CoV-2 variants alpha and delta. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 101:108231. [PMID: 34655852 PMCID: PMC8495003 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.108231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate self-replicating RNA lipid nanoparticles (saRNA LNPs) to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants delta (B.1.617 lineage) and alpha (B.1.1.7 lineage). Before immunization of mice with saRNA LNPs, we saw high expression of S-protein at both mRNA and protein levels after transfection of HEK293T/17 cells with saRNA LNPs. After oral immunization of BALB/c mice with 0.1 - 10 µg saRNA LNPs , a high quantity of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgA antibodies were seen with a dose-dependent pattern. Importantly, the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1 in serum of vaccinated mice showed Th1/Th2 skewing response. We also found that the secreted antibodies could neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants delta (B.1.617 lineage) and alpha (B.1.1.7 lineage). Re-stimulated splenocytes of vaccinated mice showed high secretion of IFN-γ, IL-6, and TNF- α . The authors think that although the preclinical study confirmed the efficacy of saRNA LNPs against SARS-CoV-2, the actual efficacy and safety of the oral vaccine must be evaluated in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ali Jebali
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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66
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Gupta A, Andresen JL, Manan RS, Langer R. Nucleic acid delivery for therapeutic applications. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 178:113834. [PMID: 34492233 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.113834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent medical advances have exploited the ability to address a given disease at the underlying level of transcription and translation. These treatment paradigms utilize nucleic acids - including short interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), and messenger RNA (mRNA) - to achieve a desired outcome ranging from gene knockdown to induced expression of a selected target protein. Towards this end, numerous strategies for encapsulation or stabilization of various nucleic acid structures have been developed in order to achieve intracellular delivery. In this review, we discuss several therapeutic applications of nucleic acids directed towards specific diseases and tissues of interest, in particular highlighting recent technologies which have reached late-stage clinical trials and received FDA approval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Gupta
- David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jason L Andresen
- David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Rajith S Manan
- David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Robert Langer
- David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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67
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Chaudhary N, Weissman D, Whitehead KA. mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases: principles, delivery and clinical translation. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:817-838. [PMID: 34433919 PMCID: PMC8386155 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00283-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 573] [Impact Index Per Article: 191.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the past several decades, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have progressed from a scepticism-inducing idea to clinical reality. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed the most rapid vaccine development in history, with mRNA vaccines at the forefront of those efforts. Although it is now clear that mRNA vaccines can rapidly and safely protect patients from infectious disease, additional research is required to optimize mRNA design, intracellular delivery and applications beyond SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis. In this Review, we describe the technologies that underlie mRNA vaccines, with an emphasis on lipid nanoparticles and other non-viral delivery vehicles. We also overview the pipeline of mRNA vaccines against various infectious disease pathogens and discuss key questions for the future application of this breakthrough vaccine platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namit Chaudhary
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn A Whitehead
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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68
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Meldgaard TS, Blengio F, Maffione D, Sammicheli C, Tavarini S, Nuti S, Kratzer R, Medini D, Siena E, Bertholet S. Single-Cell Analysis of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T-Cell Transcripts Reveals Profiles Specific to mRNA or Adjuvanted Protein Vaccines. Front Immunol 2021; 12:757151. [PMID: 34777370 PMCID: PMC8586650 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.757151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cells play a key role in mediating protective immunity after immune challenges such as infection or vaccination. Several subsets of differentiated CD8+ T cells have been identified, however, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism that underlies T-cell differentiation is lacking. Conventional approaches to the study of immune responses are typically limited to the analysis of bulk groups of cells that mask the cells' heterogeneity (RNA-seq, microarray) and to the assessment of a relatively limited number of biomarkers that can be evaluated simultaneously at the population level (flow and mass cytometry). Single-cell analysis, on the other hand, represents a possible alternative that enables a deeper characterization of the underlying cellular heterogeneity. In this study, a murine model was used to characterize immunodominant hemagglutinin (HA533-541)-specific CD8+ T-cell responses to nucleic- and protein-based influenza vaccine candidates, using single-cell sorting followed by transcriptomic analysis. Investigation of single-cell gene expression profiles enabled the discovery of unique subsets of CD8+ T cells that co-expressed cytotoxic genes after vaccination. Moreover, this method enabled the characterization of antigen specific CD8+ T cells that were previously undetected. Single-cell transcriptome profiling has the potential to allow for qualitative discrimination of cells, which could lead to novel insights on biological pathways involved in cellular responses. This approach could be further validated and allow for more informed decision making in preclinical and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trine Sundebo Meldgaard
- Research & Development, GSK, Siena, Italy
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Fabiola Blengio
- Chemical & Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Denise Maffione
- Chemical & Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Sandra Nuti
- Research & Development, GSK, Siena, Italy
- Research & Development, GSK, Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | | | | | - Sylvie Bertholet
- Research & Development, GSK, Siena, Italy
- Research & Development, GSK, Rockville, MD, United States
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69
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Simonetti O, Radi G, Molinelli E, Rizzetto G, Diotallevi F, Offidani A. Recommendations for dermatologists treating patients with atopic dermatitis during the Covid-19 pandemic: a look into the past for a conscious vaccination management. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 17:3268-3275. [PMID: 34170791 PMCID: PMC8437527 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1925502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 20% of children and 10% of adults. The implication of vaccines as a trigger for the de novo onset of AD in children or as a cause of exacerbation in individuals with a history of AD has long been debated. We present a brief review of the literature on AD and traditional vaccinations, proposing in addition the main recommendations for the management of patients with AD undergoing the vaccine against the SARS-COV-2 virus. Live attenuated vaccines seem to be associated with a relapse of AD and/or complications, such as eczema vaccinatum. For non-live vaccines, no adverse events are noted in atopic subjects. Since the Covid-19 vaccine is mRNA or viral vectored vaccine and there are no other currently used vaccines of this type, the same recommendations are applied as for all other non-live vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriana Simonetti
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giulia Radi
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisa Molinelli
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Giulio Rizzetto
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Federico Diotallevi
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Annamaria Offidani
- Dermatological Clinic Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
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70
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Bartley JM, Cadar AN, Martin DE. Better, Faster, Stronger: mRNA Vaccines Show Promise for Influenza Vaccination in Older Adults. Immunol Invest 2021; 50:810-820. [PMID: 33830864 DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2021.1909617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Older adults have diminished immune responses that lead to increased susceptibility and severity of infectious diseases. Influenza is a leading killer of older adults despite the availability of seasonal influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccines are strain specific, and their efficacy varies greatly year to year based on how well the vaccine virus matches the circulating strains. Additionally, older adults have reduced vaccination responses. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the increased mortality rate in older adults for infectious disease, and brought vaccine development to the forefront. The speed of vaccine development was met with an equally impressive vaccine efficacy. Interestingly, both mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines currently available have shown similar efficacy in both young and older adults. mRNA vaccine production has significantly reduced the production timeline compared to current influenza vaccines, making them particularly attractive for influenza vaccine development. Faster production coupled with improved efficacy would be a tremendous advancement in protecting older adults from influenza morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Bartley
- Center on Aging and Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Andreia N Cadar
- Center on Aging and Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dominique E Martin
- Center on Aging and Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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71
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Naderi Sohi A, Kiani J, Arefian E, Khosrojerdi A, Fekrirad Z, Ghaemi S, Zim MK, Jalili A, Bostanshirin N, Soleimani M. Development of an mRNA-LNP Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: Evaluation of Immune Response in Mouse and Rhesus Macaque. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9091007. [PMID: 34579244 PMCID: PMC8472963 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9091007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the vaccines have been developed thus far against SARS-CoV-2, the mRNA-based ones have demonstrated more promising results regarding both safety and efficacy. Two remarkable features of the mRNA vaccines introduced by the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna companies are the use of (N1-methyl-pseudouridine-) modified mRNA and the microfluidics-based production of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as the carrier. In the present study, except Anti-Reverse Cap Analog (ARCA), no other nucleoside analogs were employed to synthesize Spike-encoding mRNA using the in vitro transcription (IVT) method. Furthermore, LNPs were prepared via the ethanol injection method commonly used for liposome formation as an alternative for microfluidics-based approaches. The produced mRNA-LNP vaccine was evaluated for nanoparticles characteristics, encapsulation and transfection efficiencies, in vitro cytotoxicity as well as stability and storability. The safety of vaccine was assessed in Balb/c mice injected with mRNA-LNPs containing 10 µg of spike-encoding mRNA. Eventually, the vaccine efficacy in inducing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2 was studied in Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice (received either 1 or 10 µg of mRNA) as well as in rhesus macaque monkeys (infused with mRNA-LNPs containing 100 µg of mRNA). The ELISA and virus neutralizing test (VNT) results showed a significant augmentation in the level of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the ELISA assay showed virus-specific IFN-γ secretion in immunized mice as a marker of TH1 cell-based immune response, whereas favorably no change in the production of IL-4 was detected.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jafar Kiani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran;
| | - Ehsan Arefian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran; (E.A.); (Z.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Arezou Khosrojerdi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1411713116, Iran;
| | - Zahra Fekrirad
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran; (E.A.); (Z.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Shokoofeh Ghaemi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran; (E.A.); (Z.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Mohammad Kazem Zim
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran;
| | - Arsalan Jalili
- Cell Science Research Center, Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACER, Tehran 16635-148, Iran;
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
| | - Nazila Bostanshirin
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine Science, Alborz University of Medical Science, Karaj 3149779453, Iran;
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1411713116, Iran
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1983969411, Iran
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +98-2182884508
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72
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Immunogenicity of stabilized HIV-1 Env trimers delivered by self-amplifying mRNA. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 25:483-493. [PMID: 34589271 PMCID: PMC8463288 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) represents a promising platform for nucleic acid delivery of vaccine immunogens. Unlike plasmid DNA, saRNA does not require entry into the nucleus of target cells for expression, having the capacity to drive higher protein expression compared to mRNA as it replicates within the cytoplasm. In this study, we examined the potential of stabilized native-like HIV-1 Envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers to elicit immune responses when delivered by saRNA polyplexes (PLXs), assembled with linear polyethylenimine. We showed that Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) saRNA induces a stronger humoral immune response to the encoded transgene compared to Semliki Forest virus saRNA. Moreover, we characterized the immunogenicity of the soluble and membrane-bound ConSOSL.UFO Env design in mice and showed a faster humoral kinetic and an immunoglobulin G (IgG)2a skew using a membrane-bound design. The immune response generated by PLX VEEV saRNA encoding the membrane-bound Env was then evaluated in larger animal models including macaques, in which low doses induced high IgG responses. Our data demonstrated that the VEEV saRNA PLX nanoparticle formulation represents a suitable platform for the delivery of stabilized HIV-1 Env and has the potential to be used in a variety of vaccine regimens.
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73
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Lee S, Ryu JH. Influenza Viruses: Innate Immunity and mRNA Vaccines. Front Immunol 2021; 12:710647. [PMID: 34531860 PMCID: PMC8438292 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.710647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system represents the first line of defense against influenza viruses, which cause severe inflammation of the respiratory tract and are responsible for more than 650,000 deaths annually worldwide. mRNA vaccines are promising alternatives to traditional vaccine approaches due to their safe dosing, low-cost manufacturing, rapid development capability, and high efficacy. In this review, we provide our current understanding of the innate immune response that uses pattern recognition receptors to detect and respond to mRNA vaccination. We also provide an overview of mRNA vaccines, and discuss the future directions and challenges in advancing this promising therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- SangJoon Lee
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Jin-Hyeob Ryu
- BIORCHESTRA Co., Ltd, Daejeon, South Korea
- BIORCHESTRA Co., Ltd, Cambridge, MA, United States
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74
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Reina J. [The new generation of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against influenza]. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2021; 41:301-304. [PMID: 34483424 PMCID: PMC8397276 DOI: 10.1016/j.eimc.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
En la actualidad existen múltiples tipos de vacunas frente a la gripe. La irrupción de la tecnología de ácidos nucleicos utilizada en las vacunas frente al SARS-CoV-2 hace pensar en su aplicación futura frente a esta infección. Frente a la gripe se han desarrollado 2 tipos de vacunas basadas en el ARN mensajero (ARNm): las convencionales o no replicativas y las autoamplificables o replicativas (auARNm), ambas incluidas en nanopartículas lipídicas. Los estudios en animales realizados con las primeras han mostrado su intensa capacidad para inducir anticuerpos e inmunidad celular Th-1 frente a la hemaglutinina gripal con escasos efectos secundarios. Los ensayos en humanos han mostrado una seroconversión del 87% y una seroprotección del 100%. Las vacunas auARNm han obtenido resultados en animales semejantes, pero a una concentración 64 veces inferior a la convencional. Las vacunas basadas en las plataformas de ARNm cumplen los requisitos establecidos por la OMS para vacunas de gripe de la generación siguiente.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Reina
- Unidad de Virología, Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Facultad de Medicina UIB, Palma de Mallorca, España
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75
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Dawre S, Maru S. Human respiratory viral infections: Current status and future prospects of nanotechnology-based approaches for prophylaxis and treatment. Life Sci 2021; 278:119561. [PMID: 33915132 PMCID: PMC8074533 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory viral infections are major cause of highly mortal pandemics. They are impacting socioeconomic development and healthcare system globally. These emerging deadly respiratory viruses develop newer survival strategies to live inside host cells and tricking the immune system of host. Currently, medical facilities, therapies and research -development teams of every country kneel down before novel corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) which claimed ~2,828,629 lives till date. Thus, there is urgent requirement of novel treatment strategies to combat against these emerging respiratory viral infections. Nanocarriers come under the umbrella of nanotechnology and offer numerous benefits compared to traditional dosage forms. Further, unique physicochemical properties (size, shape and surface charge) of nanocarriers provide additional advantage for targeted delivery. This review discusses in detail about the respiratory viruses, their transmission mode and cell invasion pathways, survival strategies, available therapies, and nanocarriers for the delivery of therapeutics. Further, the role of nanocarriers in the development of treatment therapy against SARS-CoV-2 is also overviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpa Dawre
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy &, Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS, Babulde Banks of Tapi River, Mumbai-Agra Road, Shirpur, Maharashtra 425405, India.
| | - Saurabh Maru
- School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS, Babulde Banks of Tapi River, Mumbai-Agra Road, Shirpur, Maharashtra 425405, India.
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Savar NS, Vallet T, Azizi M, Arashkia A, Lundstrom K, Vignuzzi M, Niknam HM. Quantitative evaluation of PpSP15-LmSTI1 fusion gene expression following transfection with an alphavirus-derived self-amplifying mRNA and conventional DNA vaccine platforms. Mol Cell Probes 2021; 59:101749. [PMID: 34214632 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2021.101749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
New vaccine platforms are crucial to address complex parasitic infections such as cutaneous leishmaniasis. Self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) based vaccines represent the next generation nucleic acid-based platform. In the present study, we compared the expression levels of PpSP15-LmSTI1 fusion gene in BHK-21 cells following transfection with Semliki Forest virus (SFV)-derived SAM, SFV-derived plasmid DNA (pSFV-PD) and conventional plasmid DNA (pcDNA3.1+). PpSP15-LmSTI1 fusion gene expression levels were evaluated at different time points, using quantitative Real-time PCR. All data were validated and normalized by two internal control genes. According to the results, mean values of relative expression were significantly higher for SFV-PD SAM/fusion than pcDNA/fusion and pSFV-PD/fusion at all concentrations and time points. Our results showed that higher levels of PpSp15-LmSTI1 antigen expression could be achieved using a SAM vector than pcDNA and pSFV-PD, making it a valuable and efficient alternative to conventional plasmid DNA-based vaccines against leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Vallet
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique UMR, 3569, Paris, France
| | - Masoumeh Azizi
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Arashkia
- Virology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique UMR, 3569, Paris, France.
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77
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Mallory KL, Taylor JA, Zou X, Waghela IN, Schneider CG, Sibilo MQ, Punde NM, Perazzo LC, Savransky T, Sedegah M, Dutta S, Janse CJ, Pardi N, Lin PJC, Tam YK, Weissman D, Angov E. Messenger RNA expressing PfCSP induces functional, protective immune responses against malaria in mice. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:84. [PMID: 34145286 PMCID: PMC8213722 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00345-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human malaria affects the vast majority of the world's population with the Plasmodium falciparum species causing the highest rates of morbidity and mortality. With no licensed vaccine and leading candidates achieving suboptimal protection in the field, the need for an effective immunoprophylactic option continues to motivate the malaria research community to explore alternative technologies. Recent advances in the mRNA discipline have elevated the long-neglected platform to the forefront of infectious disease research. As the immunodominant coat protein of the invasive stage of the malaria parasite, circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) was selected as the antigen of choice to assess the immunogenic and protective potential of an mRNA malaria vaccine. In mammalian cell transfection experiments, PfCSP mRNA was well expressed and cell associated. In the transition to an in vivo murine model, lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulation was applied to protect and deliver the mRNA to the cell translation machinery and supply adjuvant activity. The immunogenic effect of an array of factors was explored, such as formulation, dose, number, and interval of immunizations. PfCSP mRNA-LNP achieved sterile protection against infection with two P. berghei PfCSP transgenic parasite strains, with mRNA dose and vaccination interval having a greater effect on outcome. This investigation serves as the assessment of pre-erythrocytic malaria, PfCSP mRNA vaccine candidate resulting in sterile protection, with numerous factors affecting protective efficacy, making it a compelling candidate for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine L Mallory
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Parsons Corporation, Centreville, VA, USA
| | - Justin A Taylor
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- The Geneva Foundation, Tacoma, WA, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Zou
- Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ishita N Waghela
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Parsons Corporation, Centreville, VA, USA
| | - Cosette G Schneider
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Michael Q Sibilo
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- Parsons Corporation, Centreville, VA, USA
| | - Neeraja M Punde
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- The Geneva Foundation, Tacoma, WA, USA
| | - Leah C Perazzo
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Tatyana Savransky
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | | | - Sheetij Dutta
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Chris J Janse
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ying K Tam
- Acuitas Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Evelina Angov
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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78
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Koch T, Fathi A, Addo MM. The COVID-19 Vaccine Landscape. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1318:549-573. [PMID: 33973199 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-63761-3_31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The history of vaccine development spans centuries. At first, whole pathogens were used as vaccine agents, either inactivated or attenuated, to reduce virulence in humans. Safety and tolerability were increased by including only specific proteins as antigens and using cell culture methods, while novel vaccine strategies, like nucleic acid- or vector-based vaccines, hold high promise for the future. Vaccines have generally not been employed as the primary tools in outbreak response, but this might change since advances in medical technology in the last decades have made the concept of developing vaccines against novel pathogens a realistic strategy. Wandering the uncharted territory of a novel pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we can learn from other human Betacoronaviridae that emerged in the last decades, SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. We can identify the most likely target structures of immunity, establish animal models that emulate human disease and immunity as closely as possible, and learn about complex mechanisms of immune interaction such as cross-reactivity or antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). However, significant knowledge gaps remain. What are the correlates of protection? How do we best induce immunity in vulnerable populations like the elderly? Will the immunity induced by vaccination (or by natural infection) wane over time? To date, at least 149 vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 are under development. At the time of writing, at least 17 candidates have already progressed past preclinical studies (in vitro models and in vivo animal experiments) into clinical development. This chapter will provide an overview of this rapidly developing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Koch
- First Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. .,Department for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany. .,German Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lubeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Anahita Fathi
- First Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lubeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marylyn M Addo
- First Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lubeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
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79
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Stadlbauer D, Waal LD, Beaulieu E, Strohmeier S, Kroeze EJBV, Boutet P, Osterhaus ADME, Krammer F, Innis BL, Nachbagauer R, Stittelaar KJ, Mallett CP. AS03-adjuvanted H7N9 inactivated split virion vaccines induce cross-reactive and protective responses in ferrets. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:40. [PMID: 33742000 PMCID: PMC7979725 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00299-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Human infections with avian H7N9 subtype influenza viruses are a major public health concern and vaccines against H7N9 are urgently needed for pandemic preparedness. In early 2013, novel H7N9 influenza viruses emerged in China that caused about 1600 human cases of infection with a high associated case fatality rate. In this study, two H7N9 split virion vaccines with or without AS03 adjuvant were tested in the naive ferret model. Serological analyses demonstrated that homologous hemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization antibody titers were detectable in the ferrets after the first immunization with the AS03-adjuvanted vaccines that were further boosted by the second immunization. In addition, heterologous antibody titers against older H7 subtype viruses of the North American lineage (H7N7, H7N3) and newer H7 subtype viruses of the Eurasian lineage (H7N9) were detected in the animals receiving the AS03-adjuvanted vaccines. Animals receiving two immunizations of the AS03-adjuvanted vaccines were protected from weight loss and fever in the homologous challenge study and had no detectable virus in throat or lung samples. In addition, microscopic examination post-challenge showed animals immunized with the AS03-adjuvanted vaccines had the least signs of lung injury and inflammation, consistent with the greater relative efficacy of the adjuvanted vaccines. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the AS03-adjuvanted H7N9 vaccines elicited high levels of homologous and heterologous antibodies and protected against H7N9 virus damage post-challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Stadlbauer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leon de Waal
- Viroclinics Biosciences B.V., Viroclinics Xplore, Schaijk, The Netherlands
| | | | - Shirin Strohmeier
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Albert D M E Osterhaus
- Viroclinics Biosciences B.V., Viroclinics Xplore, Schaijk, The Netherlands.,The Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
| | - Florian Krammer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bruce L Innis
- GSK, King of Prussia, PA, USA.,PATH, Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Raffael Nachbagauer
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Moderna Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Koert J Stittelaar
- Viroclinics Biosciences B.V., Viroclinics Xplore, Schaijk, The Netherlands.,Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
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80
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Kim J, Eygeris Y, Gupta M, Sahay G. Self-assembled mRNA vaccines. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 170:83-112. [PMID: 33400957 PMCID: PMC7837307 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 87.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
mRNA vaccines have evolved from being a mere curiosity to emerging as COVID-19 vaccine front-runners. Recent advancements in the field of RNA technology, vaccinology, and nanotechnology have generated interest in delivering safe and effective mRNA therapeutics. In this review, we discuss design and self-assembly of mRNA vaccines. Self-assembly, a spontaneous organization of individual molecules, allows for design of nanoparticles with customizable properties. We highlight the materials commonly utilized to deliver mRNA, their physicochemical characteristics, and other relevant considerations, such as mRNA optimization, routes of administration, cellular fate, and immune activation, that are important for successful mRNA vaccination. We also examine the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines currently in clinical trials. mRNA vaccines are ready for the clinic, showing tremendous promise in the COVID-19 vaccine race, and have pushed the boundaries of gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghwan Kim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Yulia Eygeris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Mohit Gupta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
| | - Gaurav Sahay
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Robertson Life Science Building, 2730 South Moody Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
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81
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Abstract
mRNA vaccines have become a promising platform for cancer immunotherapy. During vaccination, naked or vehicle loaded mRNA vaccines efficiently express tumor antigens in antigen-presenting cells (APCs), facilitate APC activation and innate/adaptive immune stimulation. mRNA cancer vaccine precedes other conventional vaccine platforms due to high potency, safe administration, rapid development potentials, and cost-effective manufacturing. However, mRNA vaccine applications have been limited by instability, innate immunogenicity, and inefficient in vivo delivery. Appropriate mRNA structure modifications (i.e., codon optimizations, nucleotide modifications, self-amplifying mRNAs, etc.) and formulation methods (i.e., lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), polymers, peptides, etc.) have been investigated to overcome these issues. Tuning the administration routes and co-delivery of multiple mRNA vaccines with other immunotherapeutic agents (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors) have further boosted the host anti-tumor immunity and increased the likelihood of tumor cell eradication. With the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of LNP-loaded mRNA vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 and the promising therapeutic outcomes of mRNA cancer vaccines achieved in several clinical trials against multiple aggressive solid tumors, we envision the rapid advancing of mRNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy in the near future. This review provides a detailed overview of the recent progress and existing challenges of mRNA cancer vaccines and future considerations of applying mRNA vaccine for cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Miao
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Leaf Huang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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82
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Aldosari BN, Alfagih IM, Almurshedi AS. Lipid Nanoparticles as Delivery Systems for RNA-Based Vaccines. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:206. [PMID: 33540942 PMCID: PMC7913163 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13020206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been increased interest in the development of RNA-based vaccines for protection against various infectious diseases and also for cancer immunotherapies. Rapid and cost-effective manufacturing methods in addition to potent immune responses observed in preclinical and clinical studies have made mRNA-based vaccines promising alternatives to conventional vaccine technologies. However, efficient delivery of these vaccines requires that the mRNA be protected against extracellular degradation. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been extensively studied as non-viral vectors for the delivery of mRNA to target cells because of their relatively easy and scalable manufacturing processes. This review highlights key advances in the development of LNPs and reviews the application of mRNA-based vaccines formulated in LNPs for use against infectious diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iman M. Alfagih
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11495, Saudi Arabia; (B.N.A.); (A.S.A.)
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83
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Blakney AK, Ip S, Geall AJ. An Update on Self-Amplifying mRNA Vaccine Development. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:97. [PMID: 33525396 PMCID: PMC7911542 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This review will explore the four major pillars required for design and development of an saRNA vaccine: Antigen design, vector design, non-viral delivery systems, and manufacturing (both saRNA and lipid nanoparticles (LNP)). We report on the major innovations, preclinical and clinical data reported in the last five years and will discuss future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Blakney
- Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Shell Ip
- Precision NanoSystems Inc., Vancouver, BC V6P 6T7, Canada; (S.I.); (A.J.G.)
| | - Andrew J. Geall
- Precision NanoSystems Inc., Vancouver, BC V6P 6T7, Canada; (S.I.); (A.J.G.)
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84
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Cagigi A, Loré K. Immune Responses Induced by mRNA Vaccination in Mice, Monkeys and Humans. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:61. [PMID: 33477534 PMCID: PMC7831080 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this concise review, we summarize the concepts behind mRNA vaccination. We discuss the innate and adaptive immune response generated by mRNA vaccines in different animal models and in humans. We give examples of viral infections where mRNA vaccines have shown to induce potent responses and we discuss in more detail the recent SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine trials in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karin Loré
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, 161 64 Solna, Sweden;
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85
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is a shocking reminder of how our world would look in the absence of vaccination. Fortunately, new technologies, the pace of understanding new and existing pathogens, and the increased knowledge of the immune system allow us today to develop vaccines at an unprecedented speed. Some of the vaccine technologies that are fast-tracked by the urgency of COVID-19 may also be the answer for other health priorities, such as antimicrobial resistance, chronic infections, and cancer, that the post-COVID-19 world will urgently need to face. This perspective analyzes the way COVID-19 is transforming vaccinology and the opportunities for vaccines to have an increasingly important role in health and well-being.
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86
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McMillan CL, Young PR, Watterson D, Chappell KJ. The Next Generation of Influenza Vaccines: Towards a Universal Solution. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9010026. [PMID: 33430278 PMCID: PMC7825669 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Influenza viruses remain a constant burden in humans, causing millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Current influenza virus vaccine modalities primarily induce antibodies directed towards the highly variable head domain of the hemagglutinin protein on the virus surface. Such antibodies are often strain-specific, meaning limited cross-protection against divergent influenza viruses is induced, resulting in poor vaccine efficacy. To attempt to counteract this, yearly influenza vaccination with updated formulations containing antigens from more recently circulating viruses is required. This is an expensive and time-consuming exercise, and the constant arms race between host immunity and virus evolution presents an ongoing challenge for effective vaccine development. Furthermore, there exists the constant pandemic threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses with high fatality rates (~30–50%) or the emergence of new, pathogenic reassortants. Current vaccines would likely offer little to no protection from such viruses in the event of an epidemic or pandemic. This highlights the urgent need for improved influenza virus vaccines capable of providing long-lasting, robust protection from both seasonal influenza virus infections as well as potential pandemic threats. In this narrative review, we examine the next generation of influenza virus vaccines for human use and the steps being taken to achieve universal protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L.D. McMillan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (P.R.Y.); (D.W.)
- Correspondence: (C.L.D.M.); (K.J.C.)
| | - Paul R. Young
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (P.R.Y.); (D.W.)
- The Australian Institute for Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- The Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Daniel Watterson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (P.R.Y.); (D.W.)
- The Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Keith J. Chappell
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (P.R.Y.); (D.W.)
- The Australian Institute for Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- The Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Correspondence: (C.L.D.M.); (K.J.C.)
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87
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Abstract
The first proof-of-concept studies about the feasibility of genetic vaccines were published over three decades ago, opening the way for future development. The idea of nonviral antigen delivery had multiple advantages over the traditional live or inactivated pathogen-based vaccines, but a great deal of effort had to be invested to turn the idea of genetic vaccination into reality. Although early proof-of-concept studies were groundbreaking, they also showed that numerous aspects of genetic vaccines needed to be improved. Until the early 2000s, the vast majority of effort was invested into the development of DNA vaccines due to the potential issues of instability and low in vivo translatability of messenger RNA (mRNA). In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated the outstanding abilities of mRNA to elicit potent immune responses against infectious pathogens and different types of cancer, making it a viable platform for vaccine development. Multiple mRNA vaccine platforms have been developed and evaluated in small and large animals and humans and the results seem to be promising. RNA-based vaccines have important advantages over other vaccine approaches including outstanding efficacy, safety, and the potential for rapid, inexpensive, and scalable production. There is a substantial investment by new mRNA companies into the development of mRNA therapeutics, particularly vaccines, increasing the number of basic and translational research publications and human clinical trials underway. This review gives a broad overview about genetic vaccines and mainly focuses on the past and present of mRNA vaccines along with the future directions to bring this potent vaccine platform closer to therapeutic use.
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88
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89
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Mathew S, Faheem M, Hassain NA, Benslimane FM, Al Thani AA, Zaraket H, Yassine HM. Platforms Exploited for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 9:11. [PMID: 33375677 PMCID: PMC7824029 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the only zoonotic-origin coronavirus (CoV) that has reached the pandemic stage. The virus uses its spike (S) glycoprotein to attach to the host cells and initiate a cascade of events that leads to infection. It has sternly affected public health, economy, education, and social behavior around the world. Several scientific and medical communities have mounted concerted efforts to limit this pandemic and the subsequent wave of viral spread by developing preventative and potential vaccines. So far, no medicine or vaccine has been approved to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review describes the latest advances in the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for humans, mainly focusing on the lead candidates in clinical trials. Moreover, we seek to provide both the advantages and the disadvantages of the leading platforms used in current vaccine development, based on past vaccine delivery efforts for non-SARS CoV-2 infections. We also highlight the population groups who should receive a vaccine against COVID-19 in a timely manner to eradicate the pandemic rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilu Mathew
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar; (S.M.); (F.M.B.); (A.A.A.T.)
| | - Muhammed Faheem
- Genetics & Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada;
| | - Neeraja A. Hassain
- Department of Biotechnology, Jamal Mohamed College, Tamil Nadu 620020, India;
| | - Fatiha M. Benslimane
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar; (S.M.); (F.M.B.); (A.A.A.T.)
| | - Asmaa A. Al Thani
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar; (S.M.); (F.M.B.); (A.A.A.T.)
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar
| | - Hassan Zaraket
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon;
- Center for Infectious Diseases Research, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon
| | - Hadi M. Yassine
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar; (S.M.); (F.M.B.); (A.A.A.T.)
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2173, Qatar
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90
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Self-Replicating RNAs Drive Protective Anti-tumor T Cell Responses to Neoantigen Vaccine Targets in a Combinatorial Approach. Mol Ther 2020; 29:1186-1198. [PMID: 33278563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically poor clinical results of tumor vaccines have been attributed to weakly immunogenic antigen targets, limited specificity, and vaccine platforms that fail to induce high-quality polyfunctional T cells, central to mediating cellular immunity. We show here that the combination of antigen selection, construct design, and a robust vaccine platform based on the Synthetically Modified Alpha Replicon RNA Technology (SMARRT), a self-replicating RNA, leads to control of tumor growth in mice. Therapeutic immunization with SMARRT replicon-based vaccines expressing tumor-specific neoantigens or tumor-associated antigen were able to generate polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in mice. Additionally, checkpoint inhibitors, or co-administration of cytokine also expressed from the SMARRT platform, synergized to enhance responses further. Lastly, SMARRT-based immunization of non-human primates was able to elicit high-quality T cell responses, demonstrating translatability and clinical feasibility of synthetic replicon technology for therapeutic oncology vaccines.
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91
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Rawat K, Kumari P, Saha L. COVID-19 vaccine: A recent update in pipeline vaccines, their design and development strategies. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 892:173751. [PMID: 33245898 PMCID: PMC7685956 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 named as COVID-19 imposing a huge burden on public health as well as global economies, is caused by a new strain of betacoronavirus named as SARS-CoV-2. The high transmission rate of the virus has resulted in current havoc which highlights the need for a fast and effective approach either to prevent or treat the deadly infection. Development of vaccines can be the most prominent approach to prevent the virus to cause COVID-19 and hence will play a vital role in controlling the spread of the virus and reducing mortality. The virus uses its spike proteins for entering into the host by interacting with a specific receptor called angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) present on the surface of alveolar cells in the lungs. Researchers all over the world are targeting the spike protein for the development of potential vaccines. Here, we discuss the immunopathological basis of vaccine designing that can be approached for vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2 infection and different platforms that are being used for vaccine development. We believe this review will increase our understanding of the vaccine designing against SARS-CoV-2 and subsequently contribute to the control of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Also, it gives an insight into the current status of vaccine development and associated outcomes reported at different phases of trial. Either the S protein of the SARS-CoV-2 or the whole pathogen is targeted at the development of vaccines against COVID-19. Lymphocytopenia and Cytokine storm are two major manifestations associated with innate immune response generated against COVID-19. There are 44 vaccine candidates in clinical phase and 154 in preclinical phase of vaccine development. The major hurdle in establishing vaccine's efficacy being its effectiveness and safety at each step among diverse population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kajal Rawat
- Department of Pharmacology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), 4th Floor, Research Block B, Chandigarh, 160012, India
| | - Puja Kumari
- Department of Pharmacology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), 4th Floor, Research Block B, Chandigarh, 160012, India
| | - Lekha Saha
- Department of Pharmacology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), 4th Floor, Research Block B, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
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92
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Rockman S, Laurie KL, Parkes S, Wheatley A, Barr IG. New Technologies for Influenza Vaccines. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8111745. [PMID: 33172191 PMCID: PMC7694987 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccine development has been hampered by the long lead times and the high cost required to reach the market. The 2020 pandemic, caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in late 2019, has seen unprecedented rapid activity to generate a vaccine, which belies the traditional vaccine development cycle. Critically, much of this progress has been leveraged off existing technologies, many of which had their beginnings in influenza vaccine development. This commentary outlines the most promising of the next generation of non-egg-based influenza vaccines including new manufacturing platforms, structure-based antigen design/computational biology, protein-based vaccines including recombinant technologies, nanoparticles, gene- and vector-based technologies, as well as an update on activities around a universal influenza vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Rockman
- Technical Development, Seqirus Ltd, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (S.R.); (S.P.)
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (A.W.); (I.G.B.)
| | - Karen L. Laurie
- Technical Development, Seqirus Ltd, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (S.R.); (S.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Simone Parkes
- Technical Development, Seqirus Ltd, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (S.R.); (S.P.)
| | - Adam Wheatley
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (A.W.); (I.G.B.)
| | - Ian G. Barr
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; (A.W.); (I.G.B.)
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, VIDRL, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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93
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Elong Ngono A, Syed T, Nguyen AV, Regla-Nava JA, Susantono M, Spasova D, Aguilar A, West M, Sparks J, Gonzalez A, Branche E, DeHart JL, Vega JB, Karmali PP, Chivukula P, Kamrud K, Aliahmad P, Wang N, Shresta S. CD8 + T cells mediate protection against Zika virus induced by an NS3-based vaccine. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabb2154. [PMID: 33148638 PMCID: PMC7673678 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb2154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is associated with congenital malformations in infants born to infected mothers, and with Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected adults. Development of ZIKV vaccines has focused predominantly on the induction of neutralizing antibodies, although a suboptimal antibody response may theoretically enhance disease severity through antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Here, we report induction of a protective anti-ZIKV CD8+ T cell response in the HLA-B*0702 Ifnar1-/- transgenic mice using an alphavirus-based replicon RNA vaccine expressing ZIKV nonstructural protein NS3, a potent T cell antigen. The NS3 vaccine did not induce a neutralizing antibody response but elicited polyfunctional CD8+ T cells that were necessary and sufficient for preventing death in lethally infected adult mice and fetal growth restriction in infected pregnant mice. These data identify CD8+ T cells as the major mediators of ZIKV NS3 vaccine-induced protection and suggest a new strategy to develop safe and effective anti-flavivirus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Elong Ngono
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Thasneem Syed
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Anh-Viet Nguyen
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jose Angel Regla-Nava
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mercylia Susantono
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Darina Spasova
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Allison Aguilar
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Melissa West
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jessica Sparks
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Emilie Branche
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jason L DeHart
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jerel Boyd Vega
- Arcturus Therapeutics Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Priya Prakash Karmali
- Arcturus Therapeutics Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Padmanabh Chivukula
- Arcturus Therapeutics Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Kurt Kamrud
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Parinaz Aliahmad
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Nathaniel Wang
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., 11149 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sujan Shresta
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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94
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Black S, Bloom DE, Kaslow DC, Pecetta S, Rappuoli R. Transforming vaccine development. Semin Immunol 2020; 50:101413. [PMID: 33127296 PMCID: PMC7591868 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2020.101413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The urgency to develop vaccines against Covid-19 is putting pressure on the long and expensive development timelines that are normally required for development of lifesaving vaccines. There is a unique opportunity to take advantage of new technologies, the smart and flexible design of clinical trials, and evolving regulatory science to speed up vaccine development against Covid-19 and transform vaccine development altogether.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Black
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - David E Bloom
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | | | | | - Rino Rappuoli
- GSK, 53100 Siena, Italy; Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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95
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Bloom K, van den Berg F, Arbuthnot P. Self-amplifying RNA vaccines for infectious diseases. Gene Ther 2020; 28:117-129. [PMID: 33093657 PMCID: PMC7580817 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-020-00204-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Vaccinology is shifting toward synthetic RNA platforms which allow for rapid, scalable, and cell-free manufacturing of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. The simple development pipeline is based on in vitro transcription of antigen-encoding sequences or immunotherapies as synthetic RNA transcripts, which are then formulated for delivery. This approach may enable a quicker response to emerging disease outbreaks, as is evident from the swift pursuit of RNA vaccine candidates for the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Both conventional and self-amplifying RNAs have shown protective immunization in preclinical studies against multiple infectious diseases including influenza, RSV, Rabies, Ebola, and HIV-1. Self-amplifying RNAs have shown enhanced antigen expression at lower doses compared to conventional mRNA, suggesting this technology may improve immunization. This review will explore how self-amplifying RNAs are emerging as important vaccine candidates for infectious diseases, the advantages of synthetic manufacturing approaches, and their potential for preventing and treating chronic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie Bloom
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Fiona van den Berg
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Patrick Arbuthnot
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
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96
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Ballesteros-Briones MC, Silva-Pilipich N, Herrador-Cañete G, Vanrell L, Smerdou C. A new generation of vaccines based on alphavirus self-amplifying RNA. Curr Opin Virol 2020; 44:145-153. [PMID: 32898764 PMCID: PMC7474593 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Alphavirus self-amplifiying RNA (saRNA) induces more potent immune responses than conventional mRNA. saRNA delivery can be enhanced by electroporation or conjugation with cationic lipid or polymers. saRNA vaccines induce protective responses against human pathogens in preclinical models. saRNA replication mediates innate immune signals that contribute to the strength of immune responses. saRNA vaccines could be generated in a quick way to face emergent pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.
DNA or mRNA vaccines have potential advantages over conventional vaccines since they are easier to manufacture and have higher safety profiles. In particular, self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) derived from alphavirus expression vectors has shown to be very efficient to induce humoral and cellular responses against many antigens in preclinical models, being superior to non-replicating mRNA and DNA. This is mainly due to the fact that saRNA can provide very high expression levels and simultaneously induces strong innate responses, potentiating immunity. saRNA can be administered as viral particles or DNA, but direct delivery as RNA represents a safer and more simple approach. Although saRNA can be delivered as naked RNA, in vivo transfection can be enhanced by electroporation or by complexing it with cationic lipids or polymers. Alphavirus saRNA could have broad application to vaccinate against human pathogens, including emerging ones like SARS-CoV-2, for which clinical trials have been recently initiated.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Cristina Ballesteros-Briones
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Noelia Silva-Pilipich
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Guillermo Herrador-Cañete
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Lucia Vanrell
- Facultad de ingeniería, Universidad ORT Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Cristian Smerdou
- Division of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Cima Universidad de Navarra and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA), Pamplona, Spain.
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97
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Luisi K, Morabito KM, Burgomaster KE, Sharma M, Kong WP, Foreman BM, Patel S, Fisher B, Aleshnick MA, Laliberte J, Wallace M, Ruckwardt TJ, Gordon DN, Linton C, Ruggiero N, Cohen JL, Johnson R, Aggarwal K, Ko SY, Yang ES, Pelc RS, Dowd KA, O’Hagan D, Ulmer J, Mossman S, Sambor A, Lepine E, Mascola JR, Pierson TC, Graham BS, Yu D. Development of a potent Zika virus vaccine using self-amplifying messenger RNA. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba5068. [PMID: 32821824 PMCID: PMC7413734 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is the cause of a pandemic associated with microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Currently, there are no available treatments or vaccines for ZIKV, and the development of a safe and effective vaccine is a high priority for many global health organizations. We describe the development of ZIKV vaccine candidates using the self-amplifying messenger RNA (SAM) platform technology delivered by cationic nanoemulsion (CNE) that allows bedside mixing and is particularly useful for rapid responses to pandemic outbreaks. Two immunizations of either of the two lead SAM (CNE) vaccine candidates elicited potent neutralizing antibody responses to ZIKV in mice and nonhuman primates. Both SAM (CNE) vaccines protected these animals from ZIKV challenge, with one candidate providing complete protection against ZIKV infection in nonhuman primates. The data provide a preclinical proof of concept that a SAM (CNE) vaccine candidate can rapidly elicit protective immunity against ZIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaitlyn M. Morabito
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Katherine E. Burgomaster
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Wing-Pui Kong
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Bryant M. Foreman
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Brian Fisher
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Maya A. Aleshnick
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | | | - Tracy J. Ruckwardt
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David N. Gordon
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sung-Youl Ko
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Eun Sung Yang
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rebecca S. Pelc
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kimberly A. Dowd
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - John R. Mascola
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Theodore C. Pierson
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Corresponding author. (D.Y.); (B.S.G.); (T.C.P.)
| | - Barney S. Graham
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Corresponding author. (D.Y.); (B.S.G.); (T.C.P.)
| | - Dong Yu
- GSK Vaccines, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
- Corresponding author. (D.Y.); (B.S.G.); (T.C.P.)
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98
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Prospects and Challenges in the Development of Universal Influenza Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8030361. [PMID: 32640619 PMCID: PMC7563311 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8030361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Current influenza vaccines offer suboptimal protection and depend on annual reformulation and yearly administration. Vaccine technology has rapidly advanced during the last decade, facilitating development of next-generation influenza vaccines that can target a broader range of influenza viruses. The development and licensure of a universal influenza vaccine could provide a game changing option for the control of influenza by protecting against all influenza A and B viruses. Here we review important findings and considerations regarding the development of universal influenza vaccines and what we can learn from this moving forward with a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design.
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99
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Lou G, Anderluzzi G, Schmidt ST, Woods S, Gallorini S, Brazzoli M, Giusti F, Ferlenghi I, Johnson RN, Roberts CW, O'Hagan DT, Baudner BC, Perrie Y. Delivery of self-amplifying mRNA vaccines by cationic lipid nanoparticles: The impact of cationic lipid selection. J Control Release 2020; 325:370-379. [PMID: 32619745 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Self-amplifying RNA (SAM) represents a versatile tool that can be used to develop potent vaccines, potentially able to elicit strong antigen-specific humoral and cellular-mediated immune responses to virtually any infectious disease. To protect the SAM from degradation and achieve efficient delivery, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), particularly those based on ionizable amino-lipids, are commonly adopted. Herein, we compared commonly available cationic lipids, which have been broadly used in clinical investigations, as an alternative to ionizable lipids. To this end, a SAM vaccine encoding the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) was used. The cationic lipids investigated included 3ß-[N-(N',N'-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl]cholesterol (DC-Chol), dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DDA), 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP), 1,2-dimyristoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DMTAP), 1,2-stearoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DSTAP) and N-(4-carboxybenzyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2,3-bis(oleoyloxy)propan-1-aminium (DOBAQ). Whilst all cationic LNP (cLNP) formulations promoted high association with cells in vitro, those formulations containing the fusogenic lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) in combination with DOTAP or DDA were the most efficient at inducing antigen expression. Therefore, DOTAP and DDA formulations were selected for further in vivo studies and were compared to benchmark ionizable LNPs (iLNPs). Biodistribution studies revealed that DDA-cLNPs remained longer at the injection site compared to DOTAP-cLNPs and iLNPs when administered intramuscularly in mice. Both the cLNP formulations and the iLNPs induced strong humoral and cellular-mediated immune responses in mice that were not significantly different at a 1.5 µg SAM dose. In summary, cLNPs based on DOTAP and DDA are an efficient alternative to iLNPs to deliver SAM vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Lou
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; GSK, Siena, Italy
| | - Giulia Anderluzzi
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; GSK, Siena, Italy
| | - Signe Tandrup Schmidt
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Center for Vaccine Research, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
| | - Stuart Woods
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Craig W Roberts
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Yvonne Perrie
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St., G4 0RE Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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100
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Samaridou E, Heyes J, Lutwyche P. Lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery: Current perspectives. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2020; 154-155:37-63. [PMID: 32526452 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 282] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic Acid (NA) based therapeutics are poised to disrupt modern medicine and augment traditional pharmaceutics in a meaningful way. However, a key challenge to advancing NA therapies into the clinical setting and on to the market is the safe and effective delivery to the target tissue and cell. Lipid Nanoparticles (LNP) have been extensively investigated and are currently the most advanced vector for the delivery of NA drugs, as evidenced by the approval of Onpattro for treatment of Amyloidosis in the US and EU in 2018. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art for LNP technology. We discuss key advances in the design and development of LNP, leading to a broad range of therapeutic applications. Finally, the current status of this technology in clinical trials and its future prospects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Samaridou
- Genevant Sciences Corp., 155 - 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 4T5, Canada
| | - James Heyes
- Genevant Sciences Corp., 155 - 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 4T5, Canada
| | - Peter Lutwyche
- Genevant Sciences Corp., 155 - 887 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 4T5, Canada.
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