A highly conserved epitope-vaccine candidate against varicella-zoster virus induces neutralizing antibodies in mice

A nanoparticle vaccine displaying varicella-zoster virus gE antigen induces a superior cellular immune response than a licensed vaccine in mice and non-human primates

Herpes zoster (HZ), also known as shingles, remains a significant global health issue and most commonly seen in elderly individuals with an early exposure history to varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Currently, the licensed vaccine Shingrix, which comprises a recombinant VZV glycoprotein E (gE) formulated with a potent adjuvant AS01B, is the most effective shingles vaccine on the market. However, undesired reactogenicity and increasing global demand causing vaccine shortage, prompting the development of novel shingles vaccines. Here, we developed novel vaccine candidates utilising multiple nanoparticle (NP) platforms to display the recombinant gE antigen, formulated in an MF59-biosimilar adjuvant. In naïve mice, all tested NP vaccines induced higher humoral and cellular immune responses than Shingrix, among which, the gEM candidate induced the highest cellular response. In live attenuated VZV (VZV LAV)-primed mouse and rhesus macaque models, the gEM candidate elicited superior cell-mediated immunity (CMI) over Shingrix. Collectively, we demonstrated that NP technology remains a suitable tool for developing shingles vaccine, and the reported gEM construct is a highly promising candidate in the next-generation shingles vaccine development.

Risedronate-functionalized manganese-hydroxyapatite amorphous particles: A potent adjuvant for subunit vaccines and cancer immunotherapy

The cGAS-STING pathway and the Mevalonate Pathway are druggable targets for vaccine adjuvant discovery. Manganese (Mn) and bisphosphonates are known to exert adjuvant effects by targeting these two pathways, respectively. This study found the synergistic potential of the two pathways in enhancing immune response. Risedronate (Ris) significantly amplified the Mn adjuvant early antibody response by 166-fold and fortified its cellular immunity. However, direct combination of Mn2+ and Ris resulted in increased adjuvant toxicity (40% mouse mortality). By the combination of doping property of hydroxyapatite (HA) and its high affinity for Ris, we designed Ris-functionalized Mn-HA micro-nanoparticles as an organic-inorganic hybrid adjuvant, named MnHARis. MnHARis alleviated adjuvant toxicity (100% vs. 60% survival rate) and exhibited good long-term stability. When formulated with the varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (gE) antigen, MnHARis triggered a 274.3-fold increase in IgG titers and a 61.3-fold surge in neutralization titers while maintaining a better long-term humoral immunity compared to the aluminum adjuvant. Its efficacy spanned other antigens, including ovalbumin, HPV18 VLP, and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Notably, the cellular immunity elicited by the group of gE + MnHARis was comparable to the renowned Shingrix®. Moreover, intratumoral co-administration with an anti-trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 nanobody revealed synergistic antitumor capabilities. These findings underscore the potential of MnHARis as a potent adjuvant for augmenting vaccine immune responses and improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

Truncated glycoprotein E of varicella-zoster virus is an ideal immunogen for Escherichia coli-based vaccine design

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a highly infectious agent responsible for both varicella and herpes zoster disease. Despite high efficacy, there remain safety and accessibility concerns with the licensed vaccines. Here, we sought to produce a VZV gE immunogen using an E. coli expression system. We found that the soluble expression and yield of gE protein could be enhanced via C-terminal truncations to the protein, thereby facilitating a robust and scalable purification process for the purpose of vaccine manufacturing. The lead truncated gE (aa 31-358), hereafter referred to as tgE, was a homogenous monomer in solution and showed excellent antigenicity. Finally, we assessed and compared the immunogenicity of tgE with commercial vOka LAV and Shingrix vaccine. We found that aluminum-adjuvanted tgE was immunogenic as compared with vOka LAV. When adjuvanted with AS01_B, a two-dose immunization of tgE showed comparable or better potency in antibody responses and cell-mediated immunity with those of the Shingrix vaccine at the same dosage, especially in terms of the proportion of IFN-γ-expressing CD4⁺ T cells. In conclusion, this method of E. coli-mediate tgE expression offers a cost-effective and scalable strategy to generate an ideal VZV gE immunogen for the development of both varicella and zoster vaccines.

LNP-CpG ODN-adjuvanted varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E induced comparable levels of immunity with ShingrixTM in VZV-primed mice

Latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) may be reactivated to cause herpes zoster, which affects one in three people during their lifetime. The currently available subunit vaccine Shingrix^TM is superior to the attenuated vaccine Zostavax® in terms of both safety and efficacy, but the supply of its key adjuvant component QS21 is limited. With Ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that were recently approved by the FDA for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as carriers, and oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG ODNs) approved by the FDA for a subunit hepatitis B vaccine as immunostimulators, we developed a LNP vaccine encapsulating VZV-glycoprotein E (gE) and CpG ODN, and compared its immunogenicity with Shingrix^TM in C57BL/6J mice. The results showed that the LNP vaccine induced comparable levels of gE-specific IgG antibodies to Shingrix^TM as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Most importantly, the LNP vaccine induced comparable levels of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) that plays decisive roles in the efficacy of zoster vaccines to Shingrix^TM in a VZV-primed mouse model that was adopted for preclinical studies of Shingrix^TM. Number of IL-2 and IFN-γ secreting splenocytes and proportion of T helper 1 (Th1) cytokine-expressing CD4⁺ T cells in LNP-CpG-adjuvanted VZV-gE vaccinated mice were similar to that of Shingrix^TM boosted mice. All of the components in this LNP vaccine can be artificially and economically synthesized in large quantities, indicating the potential of LNP-CpG-adjuvanted VZV-gE as a more cost-effective zoster vaccine.

Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles Enhanced the Synergistic Adjuvant Effect of CpG ODNs and QS21 in a Varicella Zoster Virus Glycoprotein E Subunit Vaccine

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes two diseases: varicella upon primary infection and herpes zoster when latent viruses in the sensory ganglia reactivate. While varicella vaccines depend on humoral immunity to prevent VZV infection, cell-mediated immunity (CMI), which plays a therapeutic role in the control or elimination of reactivated VZV in infected cells, is decisive for zoster vaccine efficacy. As one of the most abundant glycoproteins of VZV, conserved glycoprotein E (gE) is essential for viral replication and transmission between ganglion cells, thus making it an ideal target subunit vaccine antigen; gE has been successfully used in the herpes zoster vaccine ShingrixTM on the market. In this report, we found that ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as vectors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccines could enhance the synergistic adjuvant effect of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) and QS21 on VZV-gE, affecting both humoral immunity and CMI. Vaccines made with these LNPs showed promise as varicella vaccines without a potential risk of herpes zoster, which identifies them as a novel type of herpes zoster vaccine similar to ShingrixTM. All of the components in this LNP-CpG-QS21 adjuvant system were proven to be safe after mass vaccination, and the high proportion of cholesterol contained in the LNPs was helpful for limiting the cytotoxicity induced by QS21, which may lead to the development of a novel herpes zoster subunit vaccine for clinical application.

Expression of chimeric proteins based on a backbone of the GII.4 norovirus VP1 and their application in the study of a GII.6 norovirus-specific blockade epitope

The surface-exposed loop regions of the protruding domain of the norovirus (NoV) major capsid protein VP1 can tolerate the insertion of foreign antigens without affecting its assembly into subviral particles. In this study, we investigated the tolerance of the surface-exposed loop region of the GII.4 NoV VP1 by replacing it with homologous or heterologous sequences. We designed a panel of constructs in which the amino acid sequence from position 298-305 of the GII.4 NoV VP1 was replaced by sequences derived from the same region of GI.3, GII.3, GII.6, and GII.17 NoVs as well as neutralizing epitopes of enterovirus type 71 and varicella-zoster virus. The constructs were synthesized and expressed using a recombinant baculovirus expression system. The expression of target proteins was measured by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the assembly of virus-like particles (VLPs) was confirmed by electron microscopy. Our results showed that all of the constructs expressed high levels of target chimeric proteins, and all of the chimeric proteins successfully assembled into VLPs or subviral particles. An in vitro VLP-histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding assay revealed that chimeric-protein-containing VLPs did not bind or showed reduced binding to salivary HBGAs, a ligand for NoV particles. The results of an in vitro VLP-HBGA binding blockade assay indicated that the predicted surface-exposed loop region of the GII.6 NoV VP1 may comprise a blockade epitope. In summary, the surface-exposed loop region of the GII.4 NoV VP1 can be replaced by foreign sequences of a certain length. Using this strategy, we found that the predicted surface-exposed loop region of GII.6 NoV VP1 might contain a blockade epitope.

Perspectives on passive antibody therapy and peptide-based vaccines against emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2

The current epidemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is raising awareness of the need to act faster when dealing with new pathogens. Exposure to an emerging pathogen generates an antibody response that can be used for preventing and treating the infection. These antibodies might have a high specificity to a target, few side effects, and are useful in the absence of an effective vaccine for treating immunocompromised individuals. The approved antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (e.g., regdanvimab, bamlanivimab, etesevimab, and casirivimab/imdevimab) have been selected from the antibody repertoire of B cells from convalescent patients using flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, and phage display. This encourages use of these techniques especially phage display, because it does not require expensive types of equipment and can be performed on the lab bench, thereby making it suitable for labs with limited resources. Also, the antibodies in blood samples from convalescent patients can be used to screen pre-made peptide libraries to identify epitopes for vaccine development. Different types of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been developed, including inactivated virus vaccines, mRNA-based vaccines, non-replicating vector vaccines, and protein subunits. mRNA vaccines have numerous advantages over existing vaccines, such as efficacy, ease of manufacture, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, epitope vaccination may constitute an attractive strategy to induce high levels of antibodies against a pathogen and phages might be used as immunogenic carriers of such peptides. This is a point worth considering further, as phage-based vaccines have been shown to be safe in clinical trials and phages are easy to produce and tolerate high temperatures. In conclusion, identification of the antibody repertoire of recovering patients, and the epitopes they recognize, should be an attractive alternative option for developing therapeutic and prophylactic antibodies and vaccines against emerging pathogens.

Immunogenicity of Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein E Formulated with Lipid Nanoparticles and Nucleic Immunostimulators in Mice

Theoretically, the subunit herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix^TM could be used as a varicella vaccine that avoids the risk of developing shingles from vaccination, but bedside mixing strategies and the limited supply of the adjuvant component QS21 have made its application economically impracticable. With lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that were approved by the FDA as vectors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccines, we designed a series of vaccines efficiently encapsulated with varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (VZV-gE) and nucleic acids including polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) and the natural phosphodiester CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN), which was approved by the FDA as an immunostimulator in a hepatitis B vaccine. Preclinical trial in mice showed that these LNP vaccines could induce VZV-gE IgG titers more than 16 times those induced by an alum adjuvant, and immunized serum could block in vitro infection completely at a dilution of 1:80, which indicated potential as a varicella vaccine. The magnitude of the cell-mediated immunity induced was generally more than 10 times that induced by the alum adjuvant, indicating potential as a zoster vaccine. These results showed that immunostimulatory nucleic acids together with LNPs have promise as safe and economical varicella and zoster vaccine candidates.

Immune Responses to Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein E Formulated with Poly(Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid) Nanoparticles and Nucleic Acid Adjuvants in Mice

The subunit herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix is superior to attenuated vaccine Zostavax in both safety and efficacy, yet its unlyophilizable liposome delivery system and the limited supply of naturally sourced immunological adjuvant QS-21 still need to be improved. Based on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) delivery systems that are stable during the lyophilization and rehydration process and using a double-emulsion (w/o/w) solvent evaporation method, we designed a series of nanoparticles with varicella-zoster virus antigen glycoprotein E (VZV-gE) as an antigen and nucleic acids including polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) and phosphodiester CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN), encapsulated as immune stimulators. While cationic lipids (DOTAP) have more potential than neutral lipids (DOPC) for activating gE-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in immunized mice, especially when gE is encapsulated in and presented on the surface of nanoparticles, PLGA particles without lipids have the greatest potential to induce not only the highest gE-specific IgG titers but also the strongest gE-specific CMI responses, including the highest proportions of interferon-γ (IFN-γ)- and interleukin-2 (IL-2)-producing CD4+/CD8+ T cells according to a flow cytometry assay and the greatest numbers of IFN-γ- and IL-2-producing splenocytes according to an enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. These results showed that immune-stimulating nucleic acids together with the PLGA delivery system showed promise as a safe and economical varicella and zoster vaccine candidate.

A novel vaccine candidate based on chimeric virus-like particle displaying multiple conserved epitope peptides induced neutralizing antibodies against EBV infection

Rationale: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the causative pathogen for infectious mononucleosis and many kinds of malignancies including several lymphomas such as Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma and NK/T cell lymphoma as well as carcinomas such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBV-GC). However, to date no available prophylactic vaccine was launched to the market for clinical use.

Methods: To develop a novel vaccine candidate to prevent EBV infection and diseases, we designed chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) based on the hepatitis B core antigen (HBc149). Various VLPs were engineered to present combinations of three peptides derived from the receptor binding domain of EBV gp350. All the chimeric virus-like particles were injected into Balb/C mice for immunogenicity evaluation. Neutralizing titer of mice sera were detected using an in vitro cell model.

Results: All chimeric HBc149 proteins self-assembled into VLPs with gp350 epitopes displayed on the surface of spherical particles. Interestingly, the different orders of the three epitopes in the chimeric proteins induced different immune responses in mice. Two constructs (149-3A and 149-3B) induced high serum titer against the receptor-binding domain of gp350. Most importantly, these two VLPs elicited neutralizing antibodies in immunized mice, which efficiently blocked EBV infection in cell culture. Competition analysis showed that sera from these mice contained antibodies to a major neutralizing epitope recognized by the strong neutralizing mAb 72A1.

Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that HBc149 chimeric VLPs provide a valuable platform to present EBV gp350 antigens and offer a robust basis for the development of peptide-based candidate vaccines against EBV.

Application of built-in adjuvants for epitope-based vaccines

Several studies have shown that epitope vaccines exhibit substantial advantages over conventional vaccines. However, epitope vaccines are associated with limited immunity, which can be overcome by conjugating antigenic epitopes with built-in adjuvants (e.g., some carrier proteins or new biomaterials) with special properties, including immunologic specificity, good biosecurity and biocompatibility, and the ability to vastly improve the immune response of epitope vaccines. When designing epitope vaccines, the following types of built-in adjuvants are typically considered: (1) pattern recognition receptor ligands (i.e., toll-like receptors); (2) virus-like particle carrier platforms; (3) bacterial toxin proteins; and (4) novel potential delivery systems (e.g., self-assembled peptide nanoparticles, lipid core peptides, and polymeric or inorganic nanoparticles). This review primarily discusses the current and prospective applications of these built-in adjuvants (i.e., biological carriers) to provide some references for the future design of epitope-based vaccines.

A new era in cytomegalovirus vaccinology: considerations for rational design of next-generation vaccines to prevent congenital cytomegalovirus infection

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the beta-herpesvirus family, is the most common cause of congenital infection worldwide as well as an important cause of morbidity in transplant recipients and immunosuppressed individuals. An estimated 1 in 150 infants are infected with HCMV at birth, which can result in lifelong, debilitating neurologic sequelae including microcephaly, sensorineural hearing loss, and cognitive impairment. Natural maternal immunity to HCMV decreases the frequency of reinfection and reduces risk of congenital transmission but does not completely protect against neonatal disease. Thus, a vaccine to reduce the incidence and severity of infant infection is a public health priority. A variety of candidate HCMV vaccine approaches have been tried previously, including live-attenuated viruses, glycoprotein subunit formulations, viral vectors, and single/bivalent DNA plasmids, but all have failed to reach target endpoints in clinical trials. Nevertheless, there is a great deal to be learned from the successes and failures of the HCMV vaccine field (both congenital and transplant-associated), as well as from vaccine development efforts for other herpesvirus pathogens including herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Here, we review those successes and failures, evaluating recent cutting-edge discoveries that have shaped the HCMV vaccine field and identifying topics of critical importance for future investigation. These considerations will inform rational design and evaluation of next-generation vaccines to prevent HCMV-associated congenital infection and disease.

A novel combined vaccine based on monochimeric VLP co-displaying multiple conserved epitopes against enterovirus 71 and varicella-zoster virus

Chicken pox and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) are two major infectious diseases that mainly affect infants and children, causing significant morbidity annually. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and enterovirus 71 (EV71), respectively, are the principal epidemic pathogens causing these two diseases. To investigate the possibility of developing a novel combined vaccine to prevent chicken pox and HFMD, we constructed three chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) (termed HBc-V/1/2, HBc-2/V/1 and HBc-1/2/V) based on the hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) carrier that display epitopes derived from VZV-gE, EV71-VP1, and EV71-VP2 in a varied tandem manner. The chimeric HBc can self-assemble into VLPs with these three epitopes displayed on the surface of particles. Epitope-specific antibody characterization suggested that HBc-V/1/2 elicits a balanced antibody response toward these three epitopes, and no immune interference was observed between the three epitopes. Importantly, the anti-HBc-V/1/2 sera could simultaneously neutralize VZV and EV71 and cross-neutralize coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16), another major pathogen causing HFMD. Moreover, the anti-HBc-V/1/2 sera protected neonatal mice from lethal challenge of EV71 and CVA16. Collectively, our study not only demonstrated that HBc-V/1/2 is a promising candidate combined vaccine for HFMD and Chicken pox but also provides a novel strategy for the design of combined vaccines.

Advanced Nanobiomaterials: Vaccines, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

The use of nanoparticles has contributed to many advances due to their important properties such as, size, shape or biocompatibility. The use of nanotechnology in medicine has great potential, especially in medical microbiology. Promising data show the possibility of shaping immune responses and fighting severe infections using synthetic materials. Different studies have suggested that the addition of synthetic nanoparticles in vaccines and immunotherapy will have a great impact on public health. On the other hand, antibiotic resistance is one of the major concerns worldwide; a recent report of the World Health Organization (WHO) states that antibiotic resistance could cause 300 million deaths by 2050. Nanomedicine offers an innovative tool for combating the high rates of resistance that we are fighting nowadays, by the development of both alternative therapeutic and prophylaxis approaches and also novel diagnosis methods. Early detection of infectious diseases is the key to a successful treatment and the new developed applications based on nanotechnology offer an increased sensibility and efficiency of the diagnosis. The aim of this review is to reveal and discuss the main advances made on the science of nanomaterials for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Highlighting innovative approaches utilized to: (i) increasing the efficiency of vaccines; (ii) obtaining shuttle systems that require lower antibiotic concentrations; (iii) developing coating devices that inhibit microbial colonization and biofilm formation.