Abstract
Multiple vaccines exist to control Japanese encephalitis (JE), but all suffer from problems. We have developed a new type of flavivirus vaccine, a pseudoinfectious virus (RepliVAX WN) that prevents West Nile virus (WNV)-induced disease. Here, we describe production of a chimeric RepliVAX (RepliVAX JE) that expresses the JE virus (JEV) prM and E proteins. Our prototype RepliVAX JE replicated poorly in cells, but blind passage produced a better-growing derivative, and analyses of this derivative allowed us to engineer a second-generation RepliVAX (RepliVAX JE.2) that grew to high titers. RepliVAX JE.2 elicited neutralizing antibodies in both mice and hamsters and provided 100% protection from a lethal challenge with JEV or WNV, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility our RepliVAX platform for producing a JE vaccine.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2772-2781 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Vaccine |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 22 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 23 2008 |
Keywords
- Chimera
- Encephalitis virus
- Japanese
- Subviral particle
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Medicine
- General Immunology and Microbiology
- General Veterinary
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases