Genetically engineered live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine candidates.

We have generated new influenza A virus live attenuated vaccine candidates by site-directed mutagenesis and reverse genetics. By mutating specific amino acids in the PB2 polymerase subunit, two temperature-sensitive (ts) attenuated viruses were obtained. Both candidates have 38 degrees C shutoff temperatures in MDCK cells, are attenuated in the respiratory tracts of mice and ferrets, and have very low reactogenicity in ferrets. Infection of mice or ferrets with either mutant conferred significant protection from challenge with the homologous wild-type virus. Three tests for genetic stability were used to assess the propensity for reversion to virulence: 14 days of replication in nude mice, growth at 37 degrees C in tissue culture, and serial passage in ferrets. One candidate, which contains mutations intended to reduce the ability of PB2 to bind to cap structures, was stable in all three assays, whereas the second candidate, which contains mutations found only in other ts strains of influenza virus, lost its ts phenotype in the last two assays. This approach has therefore enabled the creation of live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine candidates suitable for human testing.     

Highly conserved influenza A virus epitope sequences as candidates of H3N2 flu vaccine targets

This study focused on identifying the conserved epitopes in a single subtype A (H3N2)-as candidates for vaccine targets. We identified a total of 32 conserved epitopes in four viral proteins [22 HA, 4PB1, 3 NA, 3 NP]. Evaluation of conserved epitopes in coverage during 1968-2010 revealed that (1) 12 HA conserved epitopes were highly present in the circulating viruses; (2) the remaining 10 HA conserved epitopes appeared with lower percentage but a significantly increasing trend after 1989 [p<0.001]; and (3) the conserved epitopes in NA, NP and PB1 are also highly frequent in wild-type viruses. These conserved epitopes also covered an extremely high percentage of the 16 vaccine strains during the 42 year period. The identification of highly conserved epitopes using our approach can also be applied to develop broad-spectrum vaccines.     

流行性感冒裂解疫苗的研制

作为换代产品,流行性感冒裂解疫苗的研制已取得突破性进展,根据WHO有关规程的规定和大量的试验研究结果。完整建立了该疫苗的生产工艺和生产质量控制系统,完成了“流行性感冒裂解疫苗制造及检定规程”等规定性文件的起草和审核工作,以中试规模连续生产了三批疫苗并全部自检合格,通过疫苗稳定性试验,效力试验,异常毒性试验及过敏性试验等观察。进一步肯定了疫苗的质量。     

A replication-incompetent PB2-knockout influenza A virus vaccine vector

Vaccination is the primary form of protection from influenza virus infection. We recently developed a replication-incompetent PB2-knockout (PB2-KO) influenza virus that possesses a reporter gene (the green fluorescent protein gene) in the coding region of the PB2 segment. This virus replicated to high titers in PB2-expressing, but not unmodified, cells, suggesting its potential safety and feasibility as a vaccine. Here, we tested its efficacy in a murine model. The levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against influenza virus in sera, nasal washes, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of mice immunized with the PB2-KO virus were higher than those induced by a conventional inactivated vaccine. All PB2-KO virus-immunized mice survived challenges with lethal doses of influenza virus. Moreover, importantly, mice immunized with the PB2-KO virus produced antibodies against the reporter protein, suggesting that the PB2-KO virus has potential as a multivalent vaccine to combat infection with not only influenza virus but also other pathogens.     

基于流行性感冒病毒保守区域的通用流行性感冒疫苗的研究进展

流行性感冒(流感)疫情频频暴发,严重危害人类健康和公共卫生。虽然接种流感疫苗能够起到有效的预防作用,但由于流感病毒易变异,使得流感疫苗只对疫苗株或与疫苗株高度相近的病毒株具有保护效果。因此,研制一种可抵御不同型或亚型流感病毒的通用疫苗成为流感疫苗研究的热点。现就基于流感病毒保守区域的通用流感疫苗的研究进展作一综述。     

A reassortment-incompetent live attenuated influenza virus vaccine for protection against pandemic virus strains

Although live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) are safe for use in protection against seasonal influenza strains, concerns regarding their potential to reassort with wild-type virus strains have been voiced. LAIVs have been demonstrated to induce enhanced mucosal and cell-mediated immunity better than inactivated vaccines while also requiring a smaller dose to achieve a protective immune response. To address the need for a reassortment-incompetent live influenza A virus vaccine, we have designed a chimeric virus that takes advantage of the fact that influenza A and B viruses do not reassort. Our novel vaccine prototype uses an attenuated influenza B virus that has been manipulated to express the ectodomain of the influenza A hemagglutinin protein, the major target for eliciting neutralizing antibodies. The hemagglutinin RNA segment is modified such that it contains influenza B packaging signals, and therefore it cannot be incorporated into a wild-type influenza A virus. We have applied our strategy to different influenza A virus subtypes and generated chimeric B/PR8 HA (H1), HK68 (H3), and VN (H5) viruses. All recombinant viruses were attenuated both in vitro and in vivo, and immunization with these recombinant viruses protected mice against lethal influenza A virus infection. Overall, our data indicate that the chimeric live-attenuated influenza B viruses expressing the modified influenza A hemagglutinin are effective LAIVs.     

Protection of inactivated influenza virus vaccine against lethal influenza virus infection in diabetic mice

Influenza virus infection frequently causes complications and some excess mortality in the patients with diabetes. Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent influenza virus infection. In this paper, antibody response and protection against influenza virus infection induced by vaccination were studied in mouse model of diabetes. Healthy and diabetic BALB/c mice were immunized once or twice with inactivated influenza virus vaccine at various dosages. Four weeks after the first immunization or 1 week after the second immunization, the mice were challenged with influenza virus at a lethal dose. The result showed that the antibody responses in diabetic mice were inhibited. Immunization once with high dose or twice with low dose of vaccine provided full protection against lethal influenza virus challenge in diabetic mice, however, in healthy mice, immunization only once with low dose provided a full protection.     

四价流感病毒裂解疫苗的稳定性

目的评价四价流感病毒裂解疫苗的稳定性,为疫苗的有效期提供依据。方法分别将A1(H1N1)、A3(H3N2)、B/Victoria和B/Yamagata等4株毒株制备单价原液,生产6批疫苗(不含硫柳汞),评价疫苗分别在(37±2)℃、(25±2)℃和(6±2)℃条件下的稳定性。结果四价流感病毒裂解疫苗在(37±2)℃保存10 d、在(25±2)℃保存3个月、在(6±2)℃保存15个月,疫苗各项指标均符合企业注册标准和《中华人民共和国药典》2015版(三部)的要求。结论四价流感病毒裂解疫苗具有良好的稳定性,在(6±2)℃可稳定保存15个月。     

A baseline process for the production,recovery, and purification of bacterial influenza vaccine candidates

The current commercial system for influenza vaccine production depends on the culture of virus in embryonated eggs—a strategy that is both costly and poorly scalable. Consequently, a sudden pandemic event with a demand for millions of vaccine doses in a short time could readily overwhelm the available world production capacity. In this communication, we present a process that uses Escherichia coli for scalable production of recombinant vaccine candidates against influenza. A monomeric and a dimeric fragment of hemagglutinin of the influenza A H1N1/2009 virus were successfully expressed in a BL21 (DE3) pLysS variety of C41 E. coli. We present results from batch processes where induction is made with isopropyl thiogalactoside and from fed‐batch experiments where expression is induced using lactose/glucose pulses. Concentrations in the range of 1.188–0.605 g/L of recombinant protein were observed in 2‐L stirred tank bioreactors. The genetic construct included an N‐terminal histidine tag sequence that facilitated recovery, purification, and proper refolding of the vaccine candidate by affinity chromatography in columns loaded with Ni⁺². The proteins produced by this strategy selectively and specifically recognizes antibodies from patients diagnosed as positive to influenza A H1N1/2009. Overall protein recovery yields between 30.0 and 34.7% were typically observed. Based on these yields, a production of 4.6 × 10³ doses L^?3 day^?1 is feasible. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:896–908, 2013     

A new generation of modified live-attenuated avian influenza viruses using a two-strategy combination as potential vaccine candidates

In light of the recurrent outbreaks of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), there is a pressing need for the development of vaccines that allow rapid mass vaccination. In this study, we introduced by reverse genetics temperature-sensitive mutations in the PB1 and PB2 genes of an avian influenza virus, A/Guinea Fowl/Hong Kong/WF10/99 (H9N2) (WF10). Further genetic modifications were introduced into the PB1 gene to enhance the attenuated (att) phenotype of the virus in vivo. Using the att WF10 as a backbone, we substituted neuraminidase (NA) for hemagglutinin (HA) for vaccine purposes. In chickens, a vaccination scheme consisting of a single dose of an att H7N2 vaccine virus at 2 weeks of age and subsequent challenge with the wild-type H7N2 LPAI virus resulted in complete protection. We further extended our vaccination strategy against the HPAI H5N1. In this case, we reconstituted an att H5N1 vaccine virus, whose HA and NA genes were derived from an Asian H5N1 virus. A single-dose immunization in ovo with the att H5N1 vaccine virus in 18-day-old chicken embryos resulted in more than 60% protection for 4-week-old chickens and 100% protection for 9- to 12-week-old chickens. Boosting at 2 weeks posthatching provided 100% protection against challenge with the HPAI H5N1 virus for chickens as young as 4 weeks old, with undetectable virus shedding postchallenge. Our results highlight the potential of live att avian influenza vaccines for mass vaccination in poultry.     

流行性感冒病毒灭活疫苗规模化生产工艺的建立

本文报告了流行性感冒病毒疫苗规模化生产工艺的建立及结果,用鸡胚分别接种A1,A3,和B型病毒株,培养后进行了纯化,配苗及检定,对培养时间,收获量、离心分离及纯化、灭活、脱糖等重要步骤进行了优化比较。结果表明,培养66小时病毒滴度及收获量达到最高;采用蔗糖密度梯度离心可收到理想的分离效果;超滤脱糖优于透析法;β-丙内酯在生产中是一种理想的灭活剂,并依此筛选出最优化工艺配置,建立了切实可行的疫苗规模生产工艺,成功制备了质量稳定,安全可靠的疫苗制剂。     

流感病毒及其疫苗传代细胞制备研究进展

流行性感冒(简称流感)是由流感病毒引起的一种急性呼吸道传染病,目前,对流感病毒预防尚无十分有效的方法,接种流感疫苗是预防流感病毒传播的主要手段之一。采用生物反应器传代细胞培养不但能快速提供高质量疫苗来应对随时爆发的流感,而且基于传代细胞培养的流感病毒与临床样本更为相似,并能避免受染鸡胚感染的危险性。因此可利用传代细胞培养来规模化生产更为高效的流感疫苗。以下主要从流感病毒及其危害,传代细胞制备流感疫苗现状以及利用生物反应器规模化培养细胞制备流感疫苗的前景和展望等方面做一综述。     

Recombinant BCG vaccine candidates

Given the variable protective efficacy provided by Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin), there is a concerted effort worldwide to develop better vaccines that could be used to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. Recombinant BCG (rBCG) are vaccine candidates that offer some potential in this area. In this paper, we will discuss the molecular methods used to generate rBCG, and the results obtained with some of these new vaccines as compared with the conventional BCG vaccine in diverse animal models. Tuberculosis vaccine candidates based on rBCG are promising candidates, and some of them are now being tested in clinical trials.     

Transfection-mediated recombination of influenza A virus.

Several mechanisms, including a high mutation rate and reassortment of genes, have been found to be responsible for the variability of influenza A viruses. RNA recombination would be another mechanism leading to genetic variation; however, recombination has only rarely been reported to occur in influenza viruses. During ribonucleoprotein transfection experiments designed to generate viable influenza viruses from in vitro-synthesized RNA, we discovered several viruses which must have originated from recombination events. The ribonucleoprotein transfection system may enhance the formation of viruses which result from jumping of the viral polymerase between RNAs or from ligation of different viral RNAs. Five different recombinant viruses are described. Two of these, REC1 and REC2, contain a neuraminidase (NA) gene whose defective polyadenylation signal has been repaired via intergenic recombination; 124 and 95 nucleotides have been added, respectively. Another virus, REC5, must have originated by multiple recombination events since it contains a mosaic gene with sequences derived from the NA gene of influenza A/WSN/33 virus and the matrix, polymerase protein PB1, and NA genes of influenza A/PR/8/34 virus.     

Live bivalent vaccine for parainfluenza and influenza virus infections

Influenza and human parainfluenza virus infections are of both medical and economical importance. Currently, inactivated vaccines provide suboptimal protection against influenza, and vaccines for human parainfluenza virus infection are not available, underscoring the need for new vaccines against these respiratory diseases. Furthermore, to reduce the burden of vaccination, the development of multivalent vaccines is highly desirable. Thus, to devise a single vaccine that would elicit immune responses against both influenza and parainfluenza viruses, we used reverse genetics to generate an influenza A virus that possesses the coding region for the hemagglutinin/neuraminidase ectodomain of parainfluenza virus instead of the influenza virus neuraminidase. The recombinant virus grew efficiently in eggs but was attenuated in mice. When intranasally immunized with the recombinant vaccine, all mice developed antibodies against both influenza and parainfluenza viruses and survived an otherwise lethal challenge with either of these viruses. This live bivalent vaccine has obvious advantages over combination vaccines, and its method of generation could, in principle, be applied in the development of a "cocktail" vaccine with efficacy against several different infectious diseases.