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Vaccines
Special Issues
Vaccine Development for Viral Infection
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Vaccine Development for Viral Infection

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccines against Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (12 July 2023) | Viewed by 14810

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Morgane Solis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Virology Laboratory, Strasbourg University Hospitals, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Interests: viruses in the immunocompromised; immune responses and biomarkers
Dr. Minhui Guan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MU Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
Interests: influenza virus; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; vaccine; animal; inmunology; receptor; infectious diseases; emerging and reemerging diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to invite submissions on “Vaccine Development for Viral Infection”. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has stimulated vaccine research and accelerated the development of innovative vaccine strategies. These vaccines appear essential to protect against severe forms of COVID-19 and to help to mitigate the global impact of SARS-CoV-2. While some viral diseases have been easily controlled and some eradicated by vaccines, there are still many viruses against which the development of an effective vaccine remains a dream.

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of inspiring articles that discuss the current state of vaccine research in viral diseases and how they can benefit from COVID-19 vaccine research.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: epidemiological, biological, and clinical aspects related to already existing vaccines as well as advances in the development of new vaccines against viral infections, especially against the ones that currently do not have any vaccine available, e.g., other respiratory viruses such as RSV, viruses of the immunocompromised such as Polyomaviruses, or other global pandemics such as HIV. Vaccines against emerging viruses and current vaccines improvements are also welcomed themes.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Morgane Solis
Dr. Minhui Guan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mRNA vaccines
  • COVID-19
  • respiratory viruses
  • HIV
  • viruses in the immunocompromised

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1955 KiB  
Article
Development and Characterization of an In Vitro Cell-Based Assay to Predict Potency of mRNA–LNP-Based Vaccines
by Nisarg Patel, Zach Davis, Carl Hofmann, Josef Vlasak, John W. Loughney, Pete DePhillips and Malini Mukherjee
Vaccines 2023, 11(7), 1224; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11071224 - 10 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7243
Abstract
Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have emerged as a flexible platform for vaccine development. The evolution of lipid nanoparticles as effective delivery vehicles for modified mRNA encoding vaccine antigens was demonstrated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to rapidly develop effective [...] Read more.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have emerged as a flexible platform for vaccine development. The evolution of lipid nanoparticles as effective delivery vehicles for modified mRNA encoding vaccine antigens was demonstrated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to rapidly develop effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from the spike protein genome, and to then manufacture multibillions of doses per year was an extraordinary achievement and a vaccine milestone. Further development and application of this platform for additional pathogens is clearly of interest. This comes with the associated need for new analytical tools that can accurately predict the performance of these mRNA vaccine candidates and tie them to an immune response expected in humans. Described here is the development and characterization of an imaging based in vitro assay able to quantitate transgene protein expression efficiency, with utility to measure lipid nanoparticles (LNP)-encapsulated mRNA vaccine potency, efficacy, and stability. Multiple biologically relevant adherent cell lines were screened to identify a suitable cell substrate capable of providing a wide dose–response curve and dynamic range. Biologically relevant assay attributes were examined and optimized, including cell monolayer morphology, antigen expression kinetics, and assay sensitivity to LNP properties, such as polyethylene glycol-lipid (or PEG–lipid) composition, mRNA mass, and LNP size. Collectively, this study presents a strategy to quickly optimize and develop a robust cell-based potency assay for the development of future mRNA-based vaccines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Viral Infection)
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22 pages, 4956 KiB  
Article
Optimizing the Production of gp145, an HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Vaccine Candidate and Its Encapsulation in Guanosine Microparticles
by Pearl Akamine, José A. González-Feliciano, Ruth Almodóvar, Gloriner Morell, Javier Rivera, Coral M. Capó-Vélez, Manuel Delgado-Vélez, Luis Prieto-Costas, Bismark Madera, Daniel Eichinger, Ignacio Pino, José H. Rivera, José Ortiz-Ubarri, José M. Rivera, Abel Baerga-Ortiz and José A. Lasalde-Dominicci
Vaccines 2023, 11(5), 975; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11050975 - 12 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2195
Abstract
We have developed a pipeline to express, purify, and characterize HIV envelope protein (Env) gp145 from Chinese hamster ovary cells, to accelerate the production of a promising vaccine candidate. First in shake flasks, then in bioreactors, we optimized the growth conditions. By adjusting [...] Read more.
We have developed a pipeline to express, purify, and characterize HIV envelope protein (Env) gp145 from Chinese hamster ovary cells, to accelerate the production of a promising vaccine candidate. First in shake flasks, then in bioreactors, we optimized the growth conditions. By adjusting the pH to 6.8, we increased expression levels to 101 mg/L in a 50 L bioreactor, nearly twice the previously reported titer value. A battery of analytical methods was developed in accordance with current good manufacturing practices to ensure a quality biopharmaceutical. Imaged capillary isoelectric focusing verified proper glycosylation of gp145; dynamic light scattering confirmed the trimeric arrangement; and bio-layer interferometry and circular dichroism analysis demonstrated native-like properties (i.e., antibody binding and secondary structure). MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used as a multi-attribute platform for accurate mass determination, glycans analysis, and protein identification. Our robust analysis demonstrates that our gp145 product is very similar to a reference standard and emphasizes the importance of accurate characterization of a highly heterogeneous immunogen for the development of an effective vaccine. Finally, we present a novel guanosine microparticle with gp145 encapsulated and displayed on its surface. The unique properties of our gp145 microparticle make it amenable to use in future preclinical and clinical trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Viral Infection)
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16 pages, 2616 KiB  
Article
Influenza Virus Carrying a Codon-Reprogrammed Neuraminidase Gene as a Strategy for Live Attenuated Vaccine
by Ji Dong, Zhenyuan Dong, Pei Feng, Yu Gao, Jiashun Li, Yang Wang, Lujie Han, Zhixia Li, Qian Wang, Xuefeng Niu, Chufang Li, Weiqi Pan and Ling Chen
Vaccines 2023, 11(2), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020391 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1917
Abstract
Live attenuated influenza vaccines offer broader and longer-lasting protection in comparison to inactivated influenza vaccines. The neuraminidase (NA) surface glycoprotein of influenza A virus is essential for the release and spread of progeny viral particles from infected cells. In this study, we de [...] Read more.
Live attenuated influenza vaccines offer broader and longer-lasting protection in comparison to inactivated influenza vaccines. The neuraminidase (NA) surface glycoprotein of influenza A virus is essential for the release and spread of progeny viral particles from infected cells. In this study, we de novo synthesized the NA gene, in which 62% of codons were synonymously changed based on mammalian codon bias usage. The codon-reprogrammed NA (repNA) gene failed to be packaged into the viral genome, which was achievable with partial restoration of wild-type NA sequence nucleotides at the 3′ and 5′ termini. Among a series of rescued recombinant viruses, we selected 20/13repNA, which contained 20 and 13 nucleotides of wild-type NA at the 3′ and 5′ termini of repNA, respectively, and evaluated its potential as a live attenuated influenza vaccine. The 20/13repNA is highly attenuated in mice, and the calculated LD50 was about 10,000-fold higher than that of the wild-type (WT) virus. Intranasal inoculation of the 20/13repNA virus in mice induced viral-specific humoral, cell-mediated, and mucosal immune responses. Mice vaccinated with the 20/13repNA virus were protected from the lethal challenge of both homologous and heterologous viruses. This strategy may provide a new method for the development of live, attenuated influenza vaccines for a better and more rapid response to influenza threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Viral Infection)
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15 pages, 1883 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Immune Responses to an Adjuvanted Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Protein Subunit Vaccine Candidate in Mice
by Mariam Maltseva, Yannick Galipeau, Tyler M. Renner, Lise Deschatelets, Yves Durocher, Bassel Akache and Marc-André Langlois
Vaccines 2023, 11(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11010030 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2598
Abstract
Continuous viral evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in variants capable of immune evasion, vaccine breakthrough infections and increased transmissibility. New vaccines that invoke mucosal immunity may provide a solution to reducing virus transmission. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity of intranasally administered subunit protein [...] Read more.
Continuous viral evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in variants capable of immune evasion, vaccine breakthrough infections and increased transmissibility. New vaccines that invoke mucosal immunity may provide a solution to reducing virus transmission. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity of intranasally administered subunit protein vaccines composed of a stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer or the receptor binding domain (RBD) adjuvanted with either cholera toxin (CT) or an archaeal lipid mucosal adjuvant (AMVAD). We show robust induction of immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA responses in plasma, nasal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage in mice only when adjuvant is used in the vaccine formulation. While the AMVAD adjuvant was more effective at inducing systemic antibodies against the RBD antigen than CT, CT was generally more effective at inducing overall higher IgA and IgG titers against the spike antigen in both systemic and mucosal compartments. Furthermore, vaccination with adjuvanted spike led to superior mucosal IgA responses than with the RBD antigen and produced broadly targeting neutralizing plasma antibodies against ancestral, Delta and Omicron variants in vitro; whereas adjuvanted RBD elicited a narrower antibody response with neutralizing activity only against ancestral and Delta variants. Our study demonstrates that intranasal administration of an adjuvanted protein subunit vaccine in immunologically naïve mice induced both systemic and mucosal neutralizing antibody responses that were most effective at neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants when the trimeric spike was used as an antigen compared to RBD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccine Development for Viral Infection)
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