Both chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored and DNA vaccines induced long-term immunity against Nipah virus infection

• Published in: npj vaccines 2023-11, Vol.8 (1), p.170-170, Article 170
• Main Authors: Lu, Mingqing, Yao, Yanfeng, Zhang, Xuekai, Liu, Hang, Gao, Ge, Peng, Yun, Chen, Miaoyu, Zhao, Jiaxuan, Zhang, XiaoYu, Yin, Chunhong, Guo, Weiwei, Yang, Peipei, Hu, Xue, Rao, Juhong, Li, Entao, Chen, Tong, Chiu, Sandra, Wong, Gary, Yuan, Zhiming, Lan, Jiaming, Shan, Chao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/250/590/1991; 631/326/590/1962; Adenoviruses; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Coronaviruses; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Disease transmission; DNA; Encephalitis; Epidemics; Fatalities; Glycoproteins; Immunity (Disease); Immunization; Infections; Infectious Diseases; Medical Microbiology; Medical research; Monkeys & apes; Pathogens; Proteins; Public Health; Respiratory diseases; Vaccine; Vaccines; Virology; Viruses; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 2059-0105; 2059-0105
• DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00762-3

Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly lethal zoonotic paramyxovirus that poses a severe threat to humans due to its high morbidity and the lack of viable countermeasures. Vaccines are the most crucial defense against NiV infections. Here, a recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus-based vaccine (AdC68-G) and a DNA vaccine (DNA-G) were developed by expressing the codon-optimized full-length glycoprotein (G) of NiV. Strong and sustained neutralizing antibody production, accompanied by an effective T-cell response, was induced in BALB/c mice by intranasal or intramuscular administration of one or two doses of AdC68-G, as well as by priming with DNA-G and boosting with intramuscularly administered AdC68-G. Importantly, the neutralizing antibody titers were maintained for up to 68 weeks in the mice that received intramuscularly administered AdC68-G and the prime DNA-G/boost AdC68-G regimen, without a significant decline. Additionally, Syrian golden hamsters immunized with AdC68-G and DNA-G via homologous or heterologous prime/boost immunization were completely protected against a lethal NiV virus challenge, without any apparent weight loss, clinical signs, or pathological tissue damage. There was a significant reduction in but not a complete absence of the viral load and number of infectious particles in the lungs and spleen tissue following NiV challenge. These findings suggest that the AdC68-G and DNA-G vaccines against NiV infection are promising candidates for further development.