Virus-like particle vaccines: immunology and formulation for clinical translation

Abstract

Virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines face significant challenges in their translation from laboratory models, to routine clinical administration. While some VLP vaccines thrive and are readily adopted into the vaccination schedule, others are restrained by regulatory obstacles, proprietary limitations, or finding their niche amongst the crowded vaccine market. Often the necessity to supplant an existing vaccination regimen possesses an immediate obstacle for the development of a VLP vaccine, despite any preclinical advantages identified over the competition. Novelty, adaptability and formulation compatibility may prove invaluable in helping place VLP vaccines at the forefront of vaccination technology. Areas covered: The purpose of this review is to outline the diversity of VLP vaccines, VLP-specific immune responses, and to explore how modern formulation and delivery techniques can enhance the clinical relevance and overall success of VLP vaccines. Expert commentary: The role of formation science, with an emphasis on the diversity of immune responses induced by VLP, is underrepresented amongst clinical trials for VLP vaccines. Harnessing such diversity, particularly through the use of combinations of select excipients and adjuvants, will be paramount in the development of VLP vaccines.

Immunological considerations for COVID-19 vaccine strategies

“…VLPs are spontaneously forming particles composed of several structural viral proteins that are co-expressed or admixed. Several commercial vaccines, such as hepatitis B and human papillomavirus vaccines, are based on VLPs 137 . In the case of enveloped coronaviruses, VLPs form when the viral proteins S, M and E, with or without N, are co-expressed in eukaryotic producer cells 138,139 .…”

Factors That Govern the Induction of Long-Lived Antibody Responses

“…VLPs lack viral genomes, meaning that they are absolutely non-infectious. VLPs can be derived from diverse viruses, including viruses that infect humans, animals, insects, plants, and bacteria (for recent reviews on this subject, see [31,32] and elsewhere in this Special Issue of Viruses). VLPs intrinsically display their own antigens in highly dense, repetitive arrays, and they can also be used as platforms for the high valency display of heterologous antigens.…”

High‐throughput screening of aqueous biphasic systems with ionic liquids as additives for extraction and purification of enveloped virus‐like particles

“…Furthermore, the ABS containing [C 4 mim]Cl, albeit displaying a bit lower VLPs recovery, also led to an increase in the VLPs extraction efficiency up to 91.1%. The obtained values of Y VLPs % follow the anion's order: [CH 3 48 In general, it seems that the ability of the anions to accept protons from VLPs is ruling the partitioning behavior in the studied ABS. Indeed, ILs with a highest hydrogen bonding basicity-[C 4 mim][CH 3 CO 2 ] and [C 4 mim]Cl-are capable to improve the partition of HCV-VLPs to the PEG-rich phase, in which these ILs are mainly present (extraction efficiencies of ILs higher than 80%) in the studied ABS.…”

“…Therefore, these particles are not able to self‐replicate, but still possess functional viral proteins, which enable them to penetrate and efficiently enter the cells . Because of these properties, VLPs have been largely used for biotechnological applications, such as VLP‐based vaccination or cancer therapy . However, there are still viruses for which there is no vaccine available.…”

“…2 Because of these properties, VLPs have been largely used for biotechnological applications, such as VLP-based vaccination or cancer therapy. 3,4 However,…”