Measles-vectored vaccine approaches against viral infections: a focus on Chikungunya

Abstract

Introduction: The large global burden of viral infections and especially the rapidly spreading vectorborne diseases and other emerging viral diseases show the need for new approaches in vaccine development. Several new vaccine technology platforms have been developed and are under evaluation. Areas covered: This article discusses the measles vector platform technology derived from the safe and highly efficacious measles virus vaccine. The pipeline of measles-vectored vaccine candidates against viral diseases is reviewed. Particular focus is given to the Chikungunya vaccine candidate as the first measles-vectored vaccine that demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, and functionality of the technology in humans even in the presence of pre-existing anti-measles immunity and thus achieved proof of concept for the technology. Expert commentary: Demonstrating no impact of pre-existing anti-measles immunity in humans on the response to the transgene was fundamental for the technology and indicates that the technology is suitable for large-scale immunization in measles pre-immune populations. The proof of concept in humans combined with a large preclinical track record of safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy for a variety of pathogens suggest the measles vector platform as promising plug-and-play vaccine platform technology for rapid development of effective preventive vaccines against viral and other infectious diseases.

A safe and highly efficacious measles virus-based vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2 stabilized prefusion spike

“…Animal studies have shown that rMeV-based vaccines are highly effective against infectious diseases. Common immunization routes such as intramuscular, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and intranasal were effective to induce a high level of immune responses in cotton rats, IFNAR1 −/− -hCD46 mice, and nonhuman primates (34,44,45). Currently, phase I clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate MeV-vectored vaccines against Zika virus (NCT02996890 and NCT04033068), Lassa virus (NCT04055454), and HIV (NCT01320176).…”

Live Attenuated Measles Virus Vaccine Expressing Helicobacter pylori Heat Shock Protein A

“…Vectored MV vaccines encoding foreign viral antigens, including antigens deriving from viruses associated with emerging virus infections, demonstrated strong immunogenic potential combined with the excellent safety properties of the attenuated MV strains. 50 , 51 Models have predicted that the most beneficial strategy for control and eradication of H. pylori infection could be immunoprophylaxis at the infant age. 15 Vaccination with dual pathogen targeting based on a live attenuated vector with an already proven safety record could represent a major advantage in this context.…”

An overview of current COVID-19 vaccine platforms

“…Former pre-clinical trials against MERS-CoV [49] , [50] and SARS-CoV [51] , [52] using an attenuated MV, the Schwartz strain, showed very promising results. Interestingly, the pre-existing immunity to measles vector acquired by earlier infection in the elderly or vaccination in young people did not dampen responses to a Chikungunya-MV-based vaccine [53] , making the Schwartz measles vector a very promising platform comparable with adenovirus vectors. A trial in France and Belgium was started in August 2020 to test a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate based on a replicating measles vaccine sponsored by Themis company that was acquired by Merck later (trial number NCT04497298).…”