optimized-interferon-gamma-elispot-assay-to-measure-t-cell-responses

Optimized Interferon-gamma ELISpot Assay to Measure T Cell Responses in the Guinea Pig Model after Vaccination

The guinea pig has played a pivotal role as a relevant small animal model in the development of vaccines for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, ...

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a massive medical burden in infants, children and the elderly worldwide, and an effective, safe RSV vaccine remains an unmet need. Here we assess a novel vaccination strategy based on the intradermal delivery of a SynCon® DNA-based vaccine encoding engineered RSV-F antigen using a surface electroporation device (SEP) to target epidermal cells, in clinically relevant experimental models. We demonstrate the ability of this strategy to elicit robust immune responses. Importantly we demonstrate complete resistance to pulmonary infection at a single low dose of vaccine in the cotton rat RSV/A challenge model. In contrast to the formalin-inactivated RSV (FI-RSV) vaccine, there was no enhanced lung inflammation upon virus challenge after DNA vaccination. In summary the data presented outline the pre-clinical development of a highly efficacious, tolerable and safe non-replicating vaccine delivery strategy.

Development of an intradermal DNA vaccine delivery strategy to achieve single-dose immunity against respiratory syncytial virus.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a massive medical burden on a global scale. Infants, children and the elderly represent the vulnerable populations. Currently there is no approved vaccine to protect against the disease. Vaccine development has been hindered by several factors including vaccine enhanced disease (VED) associated with formalin-inactivated RSV vaccines, inability of target populations to raise protective immune responses after vaccination or natural viral infection, and a lack of consensus concerning the most appropriate virus-associated target antigen. However, with recent advances in the molecular understanding of the virus, and design of highly characterized vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity there is new belief a RSV vaccine is possible. One promising approach is nucleic acid-based vaccinology. Both DNA and mRNA RSV vaccines are showing promising results in clinically relevant animal models, supporting their transition into humans. Here we will discuss this strategy to target RSV, and the ongoing studies to advance the nucleic acid vaccine platform as a viable option to protect vulnerable populations from this important disease.

Nucleic acid-based vaccines targeting respiratory syncytial virus: Delivering the goods.

The immune responses elicited following delivery of DNA vaccines to the skin has previously been shown to be significantly enhanced by the addition of electroporation (EP) to the treatment protocol. Principally, EP increases the transfection of plasmid DNA (pDNA) into the resident skin cells. In addition to increasing the levels of in vivo transfection, the physical insult induced by EP is associated with activation of innate pathways which are believed to mediate an adjuvant effect, further enhancing DNA vaccine responses. We investigated the possible mechanisms associated with this adjuvant effect, primarily focusing on the cell death pathways associated with the skin EP procedure independent of pDNA delivery. Using the minimally invasive CELLECTRA-3P intradermal electroporation device that penetrates the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin, we have investigated apoptotic and necrotic cell death in relation to the vicinity of the electrode needles and electric field generated. Employing the well-established terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick-end labeling assay, we detected apoptosis beginning as early as one hour after EP and peaking at the 4 h time point. The majority of the apoptotic events were detected in the epidermal region directly adjacent to the electrode needle. Using a novel propidium iodide in vivo necrotic cell death assay, we detected necrotic events concentrated in the epidermal region adjacent to the electrode. Furthermore, we detected upregulation of calreticulin expression on skin cells after EP, thus labeling these cells for uptake by dendritic cells and macrophages. These results allow us to delineate the cell death mechanisms occurring in the skin following intradermal EP independently of pDNA delivery. We believe these events contribute to the adjuvant effect observed following electroporation at the skin treatment site.

Katherine Schultheis

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Optimized Interferon-gamma ELISpot Assay to Measure T Cell Responses in the Guinea Pig Model after Vaccination