VennVax, a DNA-prime, peptide-boost multi-T-cell epitope poxvirus vaccine, induces protective immunity against vaccinia infection by T cell response alone

Authors

Leonard Moise, University of Rhode IslandFollow
R. Mark Buller
Jill Schriewer
Jinhee Lee
Sharon E. Frey
David B. Weiner
William Martin
Anne S. De Groot, University of Rhode IslandFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

2011

Abstract

The potential for smallpox to be disseminated in a bioterror attack has prompted development of new, safer smallpox vaccination strategies. We designed and evaluated immunogenicity and efficacy of a T-cell epitope vaccine based on conserved and antigenic vaccinia/variola sequences, identified using bioinformatics and immunological methods. Vaccination in HLA transgenic mice using a DNA-prime/peptide-boost strategy elicited significant T cell responses to multiple epitopes. No antibody response pre-challenge was observed, neither against whole vaccinia antigens nor vaccine epitope peptides. Remarkably, 100% of vaccinated mice survived lethal vaccinia challenge, demonstrating that protective immunity to vaccinia does not require B cell priming.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Moise, L., Buller, R. M., Schriewer, J., Lee, J., Frey, S. E., Weiner, D. B., Martin, W., & De Groot, A. S. (2011). VennVax, a DNA-prime, peptide-boost multi-T-cell epitope poxvirus vaccine, induces protective immunity against vaccinia infection by T cell response alone. Vaccine, 29(3), 501-511. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.10.064

Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.10.064

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.