Baculovirus vector as a delivery vehicle for influenza vaccines

Abstract

The baculovirus vector has emerged as an efficient delivery vehicle for influenza vaccines. In addition to the ease and safety in expeditious production, recent improvements in baculovirus engineering to display foreign proteins on the surface and to express transgenes with suitable promoters in various cell lines have become milestones in the development of the baculovirus expression system. Surface-displayed and shuttle promoter-mediated baculovirus vaccines for influenza present advantages in immunogenicity and safety, as studied in several animal models. A variety of strategies, including the modification of envelope proteins for surface display, the selection of novel promoters for in vivo transductions and advancements in downstream processing, aid the improvement of baculovirus-based influenza vaccines and represent progress toward next-generation vaccines for influenza.

Keywords::

• baculovirus
• delivery
• hemagglutinin
• immunogenicity
• influenza
• purification
• safety
• surface display
• WSSV ie1 promoter

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors are employees of Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

^*Shuttle promoter.

CHO: Chinese hamster ovary; CMV: Cytomelagovirus; ETL: Early to late; LTR: Long terminal repeat; RSV: Rous sarcoma virus; SV40: Simian virus 40; WSSV: White spot syndrome virus.