Increased DNA vaccine delivery and immunogenicity by electroporation in vivo

DNA vaccines have been demonstrated to be potent in small animals but are less effective in primates. One limiting factor may be inefficient uptake of DNA by cells in situ. In this study, we evaluated whether cellular uptake of DNA was a significant barrier to efficient transfection in vivo and subsequent induction of immune responses. For this purpose, we used the technique of electroporation to facilitate DNA delivery in vivo. This technology was shown to substantially increase delivery of DNA to cells, resulting in increased expression and elevated immune responses. The potency of a weakly immunogenic hepatitis B surface Ag DNA vaccine was increased in mice, as seen by a more rapid onset and higher magnitude of anti-hepatitis B Abs. In addition, the immunogenicity of a potent HIV gag DNA vaccine was increased in mice, as seen by higher Ab titers, a substantial reduction in the dose of DNA required to induce an Ab response, and an increase in CD8+ T cell responses. Finally, Ab responses were enhanced by electroporation against both components of a combination HIV gag and env DNA vaccine in guinea pigs and rabbits. Therefore, cellular uptake of DNA is a significant barrier to transfection in vivo, and electroporation appears able to overcome this barrier.     

Design and immunogenicity assessment of HIV-1 virus-like particles as a candidate vaccine

The rapid growth of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic makes it a high priority to develop an effective vaccine. Since a live attenuated or inactivated HIV vaccine is not likely to be approved for clinical application due to safety concerns, HIV virus like particles (VLPs) offer an attractive alternative because they are considered safer since they lack viral genome. We got a stable eukaryotic cell line by G418 resistance selection, engineered to express the HIV-1 structure protein Gag and Env efficiently and stably. We confirmed the presence of Gag and Env proteins in the cell culture supernatant and that they could self-assemble into VLPs. These VLPs were found to be able to elicit specific humoral and cellular immune response after immunization without any adjuvant.     

Methods for nano-particle based vaccine formulation and evaluation of their immunogenicity

Nano- and microparticles have long been used for the delivery of drugs and are currently being evaluated as vaccine delivery systems. Particulates can elicit potent immune responses, either by direct immuno-stimulation of antigen presenting cells (APC) or/and by delivering antigen to specific cellular compartments and promoting antigen uptake by appropriate stimulatory cell types. Herein, we describe a detailed method for the preparation of a novel nanoparticle-based antigen delivery system which induces strong cellular and humoral immune responses in mice and sheep. This simple system is based on the use of 40 nanometer (nm) inert solid carrier beads to which antigen is covalently coupled before injection. Covalent conjugation of antigen to the nanobeads, assessment of conjugation efficiency, characterisation and measurement of in vivo immunogenicity by cytokine ELISPOT (to measure antigen-specific T-cell responses) and ELISA (to measure antibody titers), are described. Emphasis is placed on providing trouble-shooting advice to enable the reproducible production of soluble nano-size formulations that do not suffer from common problems such as aggregation, as well as understanding the causes and thus avoiding a range of prevalent technical problems that occur when using immune response detection assays, such as the cytokine ELISPOT assay and ELISA.     

Isolation and study of the properties of a polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine. An evaluation of the biological properties of a polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine

P. aeruginosa killed polyvalent corpuscular vaccine, tested in a trial on 42 volunteer donors, is safe, low reactogenic and possesses pronounced immunogenicity, as the injection of the vaccine induced a rise in the titer of antibodies to P. aeruginosa up to 1:1280 in 95% of the immunized donors. To obtain specific antibodies in the blood plasma of the donors in an amount sufficient for the protective activity of the plasma becoming manifest, it is expedient to use the vaccination schedule providing for subcutaneous injections of 0.5, 0.5 and 1.0 ml at intervals of 7 days. Intense immunity thus induced in the donors lasts for 3-4 months. The hyperimmune plasma obtained from the donors has an antibody titer of at least 1:320 and shows a 90-100% protective effect in mice infected intraperitoneally with P. aeruginosa. The preliminary results of the clinical trial of anti-P. aeruginosa plasma have demonstrated its efficiency as a part of the complex treatment of patients with purulent septic complications of P. aeruginosa etiology.     

Safety,specificity and immunogenicity of a PrPSc-specific prion vaccine based on the YYR disease specific epitope

Prions are a novel form of infectivity based on the misfolding of a self-protein (PrP^C) into a pathological, infectious isomer (PrP^Sc). The current uncontrolled spread of chronic wasting disease in cervids, coupled with the demonstrated zoonotic nature of select livestock prion diseases, highlights the urgent need for disease management tools. While there is proof-of-principle evidence for a prion vaccine, these efforts are complicated by the challenges and risks associated with induction of immune responses to a self-protein. Our priority is to develop a PrP^Sc-specific prion vaccine based on epitopes that are uniquely exposed upon misfolding. These disease specific epitopes (DSEs) have the potential to enable specific targeting of the pathological species through immunotherapy. Here we review outcomes of the translation of a prion DSE into a PrP^Sc-specific vaccine based on the criteria of immunogenicity, safety and specificity.     

Scientific and regulatory considerations on the immunogenicity of biologics

Immune responses against non-vaccine biologics can affect their efficacy and safety, resulting in adverse events that could include administration reactions, hypersensitivity, deficiency syndromes and lack of a clinical response in treated patients. With the relatively recent development of numerous biologics, immunogenicity testing has become a key component in the demonstration of clinical safety and efficacy; in fact, it is highly unlikely that regulatory approval would be granted for a biologic without an assessment of its immunogenicity. However, recommendations from regulatory agencies regarding the requirements for when and how to carry out immunogenicity testing are dispersed among numerous guidance documents. To enable the evaluation of the effects of immunogenicity on safety and efficacy, the authors have consolidated recommendations from the regulatory guidelines, and present current approaches and future directions for the assessment of immunogenicity.     

Protective action of a corpuscular polyvalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine against representative enterobacteria

Animal experiments have demonstrated that P. aeruginosa vaccine is capable of protecting animals from experimental P. aeruginosa infection, as well as rendering a protective effect with respect to some representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The comparative study of the antigenic spectra of the vaccine strains and some representatives of Enterobacteriaceae (Enterobacter, Serratia, Citrobacter and Klebsiella) has revealed no direct relationship between the degree of this protective effect and the presence of common antigenic determinants in them.     

Safety and sensitizing properties of a polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine and its effect on hematological indices

The acute and chronic toxicity, influence on hematological characteristics and sensitizing properties of P. aeruginosa polyvalent corpuscular vaccine have been studied in experiments on 3 species of animals. The acute experiment has shown that the LD50 of the preparation contains not less than 7800 million cells, which is almost 160 times higher than the recommended immunizing dose (500 million cells). The safety of the preparation is confirmed by the data obtained in the histological and histochemical investigations of the tissues and organs of animals subjected to multiple immunizations with the vaccine. These investigations have revealed no pathological changes in the animals. During the study of the chronic toxicity of the preparation the hematological characteristics of the animals have been found to remain within normal limits. The vaccine has been shown to possess low sensitizing activity, which is manifested by the absence of severe reactions to allergic skin tests with different bacterial allergens (specific allergens obtained from P. aeruginosa and allergens obtained from other bacterial species), made on completion of the course of immunization with the vaccine.     

Production and experimental testing of the polyvalency of corpuscular vaccine for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections II. Experimental testing of the immunogenicity of polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine

Newly developed P. aeruginosa vaccine has been shown to be safe and apyrogenic for experimental animals. Immunization with the vaccine in a single injection of 0.5 ml has been found to ensure the protection of 80--98% of mice from lethal infection caused by virulent vaccine strains, with the exception of P. aeruginosa strain No. 1311, for 9 weeks. Immunity to P. aeruginosa strain No. 1311 develops only by day 56 after vaccination. No sharp correlation between the specific agglutinin level and the degree of protective effect induced by the immunization of animals with the polyvalent vaccine has been established. The vaccine has been shown to possess high immunogenicity in respect to clinical P. aeruginosa strains belonging to different serotypes (homo- and heterological vaccine strains).     

In vivo electroporation enhances the immunogenicity of an HIV-1 DNA vaccine candidate in healthy volunteers

Background

DNA-based vaccines have been safe but weakly immunogenic in humans to date.

Methods and Findings

We sought to determine the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of ADVAX, a multigenic HIV-1 DNA vaccine candidate, injected intramuscularly by in vivo electroporation (EP) in a Phase-1, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in healthy volunteers. Eight volunteers each received 0.2 mg, 1 mg, or 4 mg ADVAX or saline placebo via EP, or 4 mg ADVAX via standard intramuscular injection at weeks 0 and 8. A third vaccination was administered to eleven volunteers at week 36. EP was safe, well-tolerated and considered acceptable for a prophylactic vaccine. EP delivery of ADVAX increased the magnitude of HIV-1-specific cell mediated immunity by up to 70-fold over IM injection, as measured by gamma interferon ELISpot. The number of antigens to which the response was detected improved with EP and increasing dosage. Intracellular cytokine staining analysis of ELISpot responders revealed both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, with co-secretion of multiple cytokines.

Conclusions

This is the first demonstration in healthy volunteers that EP is safe, tolerable, and effective in improving the magnitude, breadth and durability of cellular immune responses to a DNA vaccine candidate.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00545987","term_id":"NCT00545987"}}NCT00545987     

The stability and immunogenicity of a dispersed-grown freeze-dried Pasteur BCG vaccine

The level of antituberculous immunity seems to be related to the number of memory T cells induced. This may vary as a function of the multiplication and persistence of BCG in host tissues. The most important requirements for a BCG vaccine are, therefore, the immunogenicity of the strain, the high proportion of live to dead bacilli, and adequate dispersion and low levels of soluble antigens. The surface-grown Pasteur BCG vaccine contains a very high proportion of bacilli killed by ball-milling and freeze-drying. It also contains clumps and soluble antigens, all factors influencing cell-mediated immune processes and viability control. Therefore, several batches of vaccine were prepared on an industrial scale using one of the most immunogenic strains (French 1173 P2) and grown as dispersed bacilli by a modified cell type culture method. This method provided fully viable, well-dispersed vaccines which have a viability and heat stability superior to that of the classical surface-grown BCG. The immunogenicity was checked by multiplication and persistence in mouse organs and the skin reactivity and tuberculin hypersensitivity in guinea-pigs showed results comparable to those obtained with classical vaccine. Small-scale tests in children showed superior immunogenicity of the dispersed as opposed to the classical vaccine and there was no suppurative adenitis.     

重组M2e-鞭毛蛋白流感疫苗在健康成人中的安全与免疫原性

<正>背景:基质蛋白2的胞外域(M2e)是一种有希望的具有广谱保护作用的A型流感疫苗候选制剂,因为它是高度保守的,而且抗M2e抗体在动物模型中具有保护作用。STF2.4x M2e(VAX102)是一种重组融合蛋白,即M2e抗原的4个串联拷贝与鼠伤寒沙门菌的鞭毛蛋白相连接而构成的重组融合蛋     

Role of spleen in immune response to polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine.

The immune response of lymphocytes to subcutaneously administered pneumococcal vaccine was studied in five patients without spleens and in five healthy subjects. Seven days after immunisation circulating B cells synthesising IgG antipneumococcal capsular polysaccharides (anti-PCP) appeared in both groups. Twenty one days after vaccination this B cell population had disappeared and a B cell subset which secreted IgM and IgG anti-PCP in the presence of pokeweed mitogen was detected in the normal but not in the splenectomised subjects. In the splenectomised group polyclonal IgM synthesis induced by pokeweed mitogen was defective. It was concluded that the early events of the immune response to PCP may be mediated by lymph nodes but that, later, the spleen acquires a central role in producing lymphocyte subsets capable of synthesising specific antibodies and that this might explain the increased sensitivity of splenectomised subjects to pneumococcal infection.     

DTaP-Hib联合疫苗中Hib-TT免疫原性研究

考查DTaP-Hib联合疫苗中Hib-TT的免疫原性,对其剂量、免疫持久性和抗原相容性进行分析。将不同剂量的Hib-TT、DTaP-Hib联合疫苗分别免疫小鼠,设单价的Hib-TT结合疫苗为对照,末次免疫后1、2、4、6、8、10w分别采集血清测定血清中Hib多糖抗体滴度。结果显示,不同剂量的Hib-TT和DTaP疫苗联合后均具有较好的免疫原性,血清中Hib多糖抗体阳转率达100%,并具有剂量效应和较好的免疫持久性。2.5μg剂量Hib-TT的DTaP-Hib联合疫苗免疫小鼠后1~2w诱导产生的Hib多糖抗体水平显著性地低于单价Hib-TT(P<0.05),4~10w,二者的Hib多糖抗体水平无显著性差异(P>0.05)。5μg剂量Hib-TT的DTaP-Hib联合疫苗在免疫小鼠后1w诱导产生的Hib多糖抗体水平与单价2.5μg剂量Hib-TT无显著性差异(P>0.05),免后2~10w则显著性地高于单价2.5μg剂量Hib-TT(P<0.001)。Hib-TT和DTaP疫苗联合后,仍然具有较好的免疫原性、剂量效应和免疫持久性;其抗原性干扰只是暂时的。     

IL-2与IL-7基因对犬细小病毒VP2 DNA疫苗在小鼠的免疫增强作用

[目的]探讨犬白细胞介素-2(cIL-2)与犬IL-7(cIL-7)基因对犬细小病毒(CPV) VP2蛋白DNA疫苗免疫增强的协同作用.[方法]利用含内部核蛋白体进入位点( IRES)的真核表达载体构建cIL-2和cIL-7双基因表达载体.然后利用本实验室构建的CPV VP2、cIL-2和cIL-7表达载体及本文构建的双基因表达载体,以不同组合对小鼠进行免疫,即VP2单免疫,VP2+cIL-2、VP2+cIL-7和VP2+cIL-2/cIL-7共免疫.通过ELISA方法检测免疫后不同时间小鼠血清VP2的抗体水平,并分析中和抗体的效价,通过细胞增殖实验检测免疫后小鼠脾脏淋巴细胞的增殖反应,并用ELISA方法测定小鼠淋巴细胞γ干扰素的表达水平.[结果]本实验构建的双基因表达载体结构正确,并能够介导cIL-2与cIL-7基因在真核细胞中进行同步分泌表达.小鼠免疫结果表明,VP2+cIL-2/cIL-7共免疫组小鼠血清的抗体滴度和中和抗体效价均显著高于VP2 +cIL-2和VP2+cIL-7共免疫组(P＜0.05).VP2+cIL-2/cIL-7共免疫组小鼠的淋巴细胞刺激指数比其它免疫组略有升高但尚未达到显著水平,然而γ干扰素的表达水平显著高于其它免疫组(P＜0.05).[结论]cIL-2和cIL-7基因对CPV VP2 DNA疫苗免疫原性的增强作用具有明显的协同效应.