The coming of age of virus-like particle vaccines
-
Gary T. Jennings
Abstract
Virus-like particles are supra-molecular assemblages, usually icosahedral or rod-like structures. They incorporate key immunologic features of viruses which include repetitive surfaces, particulate structures and induction of innate immunity through activation of pathogen-associated molecular-pattern recognition receptors. They carry no replicative genetic information and can be produced recombinantly in large scale. Virus-like particles thus represent a safe and effective vaccine platform for inducing potent B- and T-cell responses. In addition to being effective vaccines against the corresponding virus from which they are derived, virus-like particles can also be used to present foreign epitopes to the immune system. This can be achieved by genetic fusion or chemical conjugation. This technological innovation has greatly broadened the scope of their use, from immunizing against microbial pathogens to immunotherapy for chronic diseases. Towards this end, virus-like particles have been used to induce autoantibodies to disease-associated self-molecules involved in chronic diseases, such as hypertension and Alzheimer's disease. The recognition of the potent immunogenicity and commercial potential for virus-like particles has greatly accelerated research and development activities. During the last decade, two prophylactic virus-like particle vaccines have been registered for human use, while another 12 vaccines entered clinical development.
©2008 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest Editorial
- Novel paradigms in vaccine development: from small pox eradication to therapeutic vaccines
- Highlight: 3rd Semmering Conference 2007
- Adaptive immune responses to hepatitis C virus: from viral immunobiology to a vaccine
- Dendritic cell subtypes as primary targets of vaccines: the emerging role and cross-talk of pattern recognition receptors
- Novel strategies to identify biomarkers in tuberculosis
- Not to wake a sleeping giant: new insights into host-pathogen interactions identify new targets for vaccination against latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
- Lipopolysaccharide: a tool and target in enterobacterial vaccine development
- The coming of age of virus-like particle vaccines
- Maintenance of serological memory
- Adjuvant activity of type I interferons
- Japanese encephalitis vaccines – needs, flaws and achievements
- Analysis of the human cytomegalovirus pp65-directed T-cell response in healthy HLA-A2-positive individuals
- Non-regulatory CD8+CD45RO+CD25+ T-lymphocytes may compensate for the loss of antigen-inexperienced CD8+CD45RA+ T-cells in old age
- Pre-clinical development of cell culture (Vero)-derived H5N1 pandemic vaccines
- Construction of an encapsulated ESAT-6-based anti-TB DNA vaccine and evaluation of its immunogenic properties
- Review
- RNA switches regulate initiation of translation in bacteria
- Protein Structure and Function
- Inhibition of bacterial oxidases by formamide and analogs
- Modeling of variant copies of subunit D1 in the structure of photosystem II from Thermosynechococcus elongatus
Articles in the same Issue
- Guest Editorial
- Novel paradigms in vaccine development: from small pox eradication to therapeutic vaccines
- Highlight: 3rd Semmering Conference 2007
- Adaptive immune responses to hepatitis C virus: from viral immunobiology to a vaccine
- Dendritic cell subtypes as primary targets of vaccines: the emerging role and cross-talk of pattern recognition receptors
- Novel strategies to identify biomarkers in tuberculosis
- Not to wake a sleeping giant: new insights into host-pathogen interactions identify new targets for vaccination against latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
- Lipopolysaccharide: a tool and target in enterobacterial vaccine development
- The coming of age of virus-like particle vaccines
- Maintenance of serological memory
- Adjuvant activity of type I interferons
- Japanese encephalitis vaccines – needs, flaws and achievements
- Analysis of the human cytomegalovirus pp65-directed T-cell response in healthy HLA-A2-positive individuals
- Non-regulatory CD8+CD45RO+CD25+ T-lymphocytes may compensate for the loss of antigen-inexperienced CD8+CD45RA+ T-cells in old age
- Pre-clinical development of cell culture (Vero)-derived H5N1 pandemic vaccines
- Construction of an encapsulated ESAT-6-based anti-TB DNA vaccine and evaluation of its immunogenic properties
- Review
- RNA switches regulate initiation of translation in bacteria
- Protein Structure and Function
- Inhibition of bacterial oxidases by formamide and analogs
- Modeling of variant copies of subunit D1 in the structure of photosystem II from Thermosynechococcus elongatus
