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Fisher CR, Lowe DE, Smith TG, Yang Y, Hutson CL, Wirblich C, Cingolani G, Schnell MJ. Lyssavirus Vaccine with a Chimeric Glycoprotein Protects across Phylogroups. Cell Rep 2021; 32:107920. [PMID: 32697993 PMCID: PMC7373069 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabies is nearly 100% lethal in the absence of treatment, killing an estimated 59,000 people annually. Vaccines and biologics are highly efficacious when administered properly. Sixteen rabies-related viruses (lyssaviruses) are similarly lethal, but some are divergent enough to evade protection from current vaccines and biologics, which are based only on the classical rabies virus (RABV). Here we present the development and characterization of LyssaVax, a vaccine featuring a structurally designed, functional chimeric glycoprotein (G) containing immunologically important domains from both RABV G and the highly divergent Mokola virus (MOKV) G. LyssaVax elicits high titers of antibodies specific to both RABV and MOKV Gs in mice. Immune sera also neutralize a range of wild-type lyssaviruses across the major phylogroups. LyssaVax-immunized mice are protected against challenge with recombinant RABV and MOKV. Altogether, LyssaVax demonstrates the utility of structural modeling in vaccine design and constitutes a broadened lyssavirus vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine R Fisher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - David E Lowe
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Todd G Smith
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Yong Yang
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Christina L Hutson
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Christoph Wirblich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Gino Cingolani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Matthias J Schnell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA; Jefferson Vaccine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
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Debnath A, Pathak DC, Ramamurthy N, Mohd G, Pandey AB, Upmanyu V, Tiwari AK, Saravanan R, Chellappa MM, Dey S. Serological profiling of rabies antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and its comparative analysis with rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test in mouse model. Vet World 2019; 12:126-130. [PMID: 30936665 PMCID: PMC6431817 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2019.126-130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: In this study, we have used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as an alternative test to replace the cumbersome rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) to ascertain the immune status of immunized mice against rabies virus. Materials and Methods: Rabies is a devastating disease worldwide caused by rabies virus. Proper usage of pre- or post-exposure rabies vaccine can prevent the disease transmission. In this study, mice were immunized with Vero cell-adapted inactivated rabies vaccine. RFFIT was used as a test to determine the serum neutralizing titers in infected/vaccinated mice. Seroprofiling of mice sera was done in vitro by ELISA. Results: Twenty-one days post-immunization, both ELISA and RFFIT assays indicated similar antibody levels in mice sera that were immunized with Vero cell-adapted inactivated rabies vaccine. Both the tests were correlated, and the linearity was verified by the regression line (R²=0.979). Conclusion: In this study, we profiled the serological status of Vero cell-adapted inactivated rabies vaccine through ELISA in mice model that correlated well with the OIE gold standard test RFFIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashis Debnath
- Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Dinesh C Pathak
- Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Narayan Ramamurthy
- Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gulam Mohd
- Division of Biological Standardization, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - A B Pandey
- Division of Biological Standardization, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vikramaditya Upmanyu
- Division of Biological Standardization, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - A K Tiwari
- Division of Biological Standardization, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - R Saravanan
- Immunology Section, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Madhan Mohan Chellappa
- Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sohini Dey
- Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Garg R, Kaur M, Saxena A, Prasad R, Bhatnagar R. Alum adjuvanted rabies DNA vaccine confers 80% protection against lethal 50 LD 50 rabies challenge virus standard strain. Mol Immunol 2017; 85:166-173. [PMID: 28267643 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2017.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rabies is a serious concern world-wide. Despite availability of rabies vaccines for long; their efficacy, safety, availability and cost effectiveness has been a tremendous issue. This calls for improvement of rabies vaccination strategies. DNA vaccination has immense potential in this regard. The DNA vaccine pgp.LAMP-1 conferred 60% protection to BALB/c mice against 20 LD50 rabies challenge virus standard (CVS) strain challenge. Upon supplementation with Emulsigen-D, the vaccine formulation conferred complete protection against lethal challenge. To assess the feasibility of this vaccine formulation for human use, it was tested along with other FDA approved adjuvants, namely, Alum, Immuvac, Montanide ISA720 VG. Enhanced immune response correlated with high IgG antibody titer, Th2 biased response with a high level of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNAs) and IgG1/IgG2a ratio >1, observed upon alum supplementation of the rabies DNA vaccine. The total IgG antibody titer was 2IU/ml and total RVNA titer was observed to be 4IU/ml which is eight times higher than the minimum protective titer recommended by WHO. Furthermore, it conferred 80% protection against challenge with 50 LD50 of the rabies CVS strain, conducted in compliance with the potency test for rabies recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Previously, we have established pre-clinical safety of this vaccine as per the guidelines of Schedule Y, FDA as well as The European Agency for evaluation of Medicinal Products. The vaccine showed no observable toxicity at the site of injection as well as at systemic level in Wistar rats when administered with 10X recommended dose. Therefore, supplementation of rabies DNA vaccine, pgp.LAMP-1 with alum would lead to development of a non-toxic, efficacious, stable and affordable vaccine that can be used to combat high numbers of fatal rabies infections tormenting developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajni Garg
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 Delhi, India; Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Gurgaon (Manesar), 122413 Haryana, India
| | - Manpreet Kaur
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 Delhi, India; Vaccine and Infectious Disease Research Center, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3(rd) Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad, 121001 Haryana, India
| | - Ankur Saxena
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 Delhi, India; Fish Health Division, Diagnostic Virology Laboratory, ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, Industrial Area, Bhimtal 263136, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Rajendra Prasad
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Gurgaon (Manesar), 122413 Haryana, India
| | - Rakesh Bhatnagar
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 Delhi, India.
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Terryn S, Francart A, Rommelaere H, Stortelers C, Van Gucht S. Post-exposure Treatment with Anti-rabies VHH and Vaccine Significantly Improves Protection of Mice from Lethal Rabies Infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004902. [PMID: 27483431 PMCID: PMC4970669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against rabies infection consists of a combination of passive immunisation with plasma-derived human or equine immune globulins and active immunisation with vaccine delivered shortly after exposure. Since anti-rabies immune globulins are expensive and scarce, there is a need for cheaper alternatives that can be produced more consistently. Previously, we generated potent virus-neutralising VHH, also called Nanobodies, against the rabies glycoprotein that are effectively preventing lethal disease in an in vivo mouse model. The VHH domain is the smallest antigen-binding functional fragment of camelid heavy chain-only antibodies that can be manufactured in microbial expression systems. In the current study we evaluated the efficacy of half-life extended anti-rabies VHH in combination with vaccine for PEP in an intranasal rabies infection model in mice. The PEP combination therapy of systemic anti-rabies VHH and intramuscular vaccine significantly delayed the onset of disease compared to treatment with anti-rabies VHH alone, prolonged median survival time (35 versus 14 days) and decreased mortality (60% versus 19% survival rate), when treated 24 hours after rabies virus challenge. Vaccine alone was unable to rescue mice from lethal disease. As reported also for immune globulins, some interference of anti-rabies VHH with the antigenicity of the vaccine was observed, but this did not impede the synergistic effect. Post exposure treatment with vaccine and human anti-rabies immune globulins was unable to protect mice from lethal challenge. Anti-rabies VHH and vaccine act synergistically to protect mice after rabies virus exposure, which further validates the possible use of anti-rabies VHH for rabies PEP. Rabies is an infectious disease causing 59,000 deaths and millions are exposed each year worldwide. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against rabies consists of a combination of passive (immune globulins) and active immunisation (vaccine) directly after viral exposure. Currently used plasma-derived anti-rabies immune globulins are expensive and scarce, urging the development of alternatives. Nanobodies or VHH are the smallest antigen-binding fragments of camelid heavy chain antibodies and are easy to produce with intrinsic good thermal stability and solubility. Combined treatment with anti-rabies VHH and vaccine gave significantly better protection than either compound alone in an intranasal rabies challenge model in mice, which validates the potential use of anti-rabies VHH as replacement of immune globulins in PEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Terryn
- National Reference Centre of Rabies, Viral Diseases, Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Aurélie Francart
- National Reference Centre of Rabies, Viral Diseases, Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Steven Van Gucht
- National Reference Centre of Rabies, Viral Diseases, Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Virology, Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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