A bivalent HCV peptide vaccine elicits pan-genotypic neutralizing antibodies in mice. Issue 44 (14th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mosa, Alexander I.; Urbanowicz, Richard A.; AbouHaidar, Mounir G.; Tavis, John E.; Ball, Jonathan K.; Feld, Jordan J.
• Is Part Of: Vaccine. Volume 38:Issue 44(2020)
• Page Start: 6864
• Page End: 6867
• Publication Date: 2020-10-14
• Subjects: HCV -- Hypervariable region 1 -- Peptide -- Polyvalent -- Cross-neutralization -- Vaccine; Vaccines -- Periodicals; 615.372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.08.066
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-410X

Abstract

Abstract: Vaccine development for antigenically variable pathogens has faltered because extreme genetic diversity precludes induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (nAB) with classical vaccines. Here, using the most variable epitope of any known human pathogen (HVR1 of HCV), we describe a novel approach capable of eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting highly variable epitopes. Our proof-of-concept vaccine elicited pan-genotypic nAB against HCV variants differing from the immunogen sequences by more than 70% at the amino acid level. These findings suggest broadly nAB to highly variable pathogens can be elicited by vaccines designed to target physicochemically conserved residues within hypervariable epitopes.