Immune responses to baculovirus-displayed enterovirus 71 VP1 antigen

Abstract

The increased distribution and neurovirulence of enterovirus 71 is an important health threat for young children in Asia Pacific. Vaccine design has concentrated on inactivated virus with the most advanced undergoing Phase III clinical trials. By using a subunit vaccine approach, production costs could be reduced by lowering the need for biocontainment. In addition, novel mutations could be rapidly incorporated to reflect the emergence of new enterovirus 71 subgenogroups. To circumvent the problems associated with conventional subunit vaccines, the antigen can be displayed on a viral vector that conveys stability and facilitates purification. Additional advantages of viral-vectored subunit vaccines are their ability to stimulate the innate immune system by transducing cells and the possibility of oral or nasal delivery, which dispenses with the need for syringes and medical personnel. Baculovirus-displayed VP1 combines all these benefits with protection that is as efficient as inactivated virus.

Keywords::

• baculovirus surface display
• cross-neutralization
• enterovirus 71
• oral immunization
• passive protection
• shuttle promoter
• transduction
• VP1 subunit vaccine

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Kattur Venkatachalam Ashok Raj for technical assistance in baculovirus purification (Figure 1), Qiang Jia for the mouse-adapted EV71 B4 virus, and He Fang for the ie1 transfer vector. The authors also thank the members of the Animal Health and Biotechnology laboratory for their suggestions and help.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors are employees of and receive financial support from 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.