Chikungunya Virus Vaccines: Viral Vector–Based Approaches: Table 1.

Abstract

In 2013, a major chikungunya virus (CHIKV) epidemic reached the Americas. In the past 2 years, >1.7 million people have been infected. In light of the current epidemic, with millions of people in North and South America at risk, efforts to rapidly develop effective vaccines have increased. Here, we focus on CHIKV vaccines that use viral-vector technologies. This group of vaccine candidates shares an ability to potently induce humoral and cellular immune responses by use of highly attenuated and safe vaccine backbones. So far, well-described vectors such as modified vaccinia virus Ankara, complex adenovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, alphavirus-based chimeras, and measles vaccine Schwarz strain (MV/Schw) have been described as potential vaccines. We summarize here the recent data on these experimental vaccines, with a focus on the preclinical and clinical activities on the MV/Schw-based candidate, which is the first CHIKV-vectored vaccine that has completed a clinical trial.

Production of a Chikungunya Vaccine Using a CHO Cell and Attenuated Viral-Based Platform Technology

“…Antibodies are deemed to be critical for protection against CHIKV, 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 with human and mouse antibodies directed at the E2 surface glycoprotein of CHIKV shown to mediate protection. 46 Mice were given a single dose of vaccine (10 5 , 10 6 , and 10 7 PFUs of SCV-CHIK), and CHIKV E2-specific IgG responses were examined by ELISA.…”

“…In response, a number of CHIK vaccines have been developed (all using CHIKV structural glycoproteins as vaccine antigens), with efficacy studies ranging from pre-clinical testing to early human trials. 41 , 42 , 43 To illustrate the utility of the SCV platform technology, SCV-CHIK was constructed and shown, after a single vaccination, to induce a robust and durable antibody response that mediates protection in a pre-clinical mouse challenge model of acute and chronic CHIKV arthritic disease 48 up to 1 year post-vaccination. The protection conferred by SCV-CHIK against viremia and foot swelling is comparable to the only other VACV-vectored CHIK vaccine under investigation, the MVA-CHIKV vaccine, which has also been shown to be efficacious in mouse model studies.…”

Vaccines for epidemic infections and the role of CEPI

“…At least 4 vaccines have been tested in humans, and at least 17 others have shown promise in animals. [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] The most advanced are a virus-like particle vaccine using the envelope proteins; 49,50 2 live, attenuated vaccines (one of which is a recombinant with another avirus); and a measles-vectored Chikungunya envelope. 51 Neutralizing antibodies at a level of 1/10 have been shown to be the correlate of protection.…”

Global epidemiology of Zika and Chikungunya virus human infections

“…In this approach, the structural CHIKV genes are inserted into the vector's genome to produce a virus that, in MV, initiates expression of CHIKV structural proteins upon infection or, in VSV, contains CHIKV structural proteins embedded in the virion (112).…”