Recently, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a research paper titled “Both chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored and DNA vaccines induced long-term immunity against Nipah virus infection” in npj Vaccines. The study holds the potential for further development into a candidate vaccine for the Nipah virus.
Nipah virus disease is an acute and highly fatal zoonotic infectious disease caused by Nipah virus (NiV) infection, leading to diseases in both humans and animals that affect the central nervous and respiratory systems. Patients initially exhibit flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, dizziness, and vomiting, which can rapidly progress to severe encephalitis. Severe cases are accompanied by respiratory distress, respiratory failure, and other complications. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses classifies Nipah virus under the Paramyxovirinae subfamily, Henipavirus genus, as a pathogenic microorganism requiring handling in a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory due to its high mortality rate, potential for outbreaks, and lack of specific treatment measures. The WHO has prioritized the Nipah virus for research due to these factors.
This study utilized the sequence-optimized NiV G as an immunogen and developed a recombinant vaccine using a defective chimpanzee adenovirus vector (AdC68-G) and a plasmid-based DNA vaccine (DNA-G). The research revealed that in the BALB/c mouse model subjected to intranasal and intramuscular immunization with AdC68-G, DNA-G prime/AdC68-G boost, a rapid and robust T-cell immune response and long-lasting neutralizing antibodies were detected. The antibodies were maintained up to 68 weeks post-immunization with no significant decline observed. Subsequent challenges using intranasal and intramuscular immunization with AdC68-G, DNA-G prime/AdC68-G boost, and intramuscular/electroporation immunization with DNA-G in a golden Syrian hamster challenge model demonstrated high titers of neutralizing antibodies against both the Nipah virus strains—NiV-Malaysia and NiV-Bangladesh. The vaccines provided complete protection against lethal infections of the two Nipah virus strains without notable weight loss, clinical symptoms, or tissue pathological damage. The viral load in the hamster’s lungs, brain, and spleen was reduced or completely cleared. This vaccine not only holds promise as a candidate vaccine for Nipah virus. Moreover, the relevant research has significant implications for the prevention and control of Nipah virus.
Creative Biolabs, leveraging its unique vaccine technology platform, can offer customized development solutions for Nipah virus vaccines to accelerate research progress for clients.
Our Services for the Nipah Virus Vaccine
- Construction of animal models
- Prediction and modeling of T-cell epitopes
- Protein expression and purification
- Evaluation of immune effects