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Vaccines
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VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines
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VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 22927

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Martin Bachmann

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Immunology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Interests: virus-like particles; vaccines; infectious diseases; immunology; antibody; allergy; cancer immunotherapy and immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mona O. Mohsen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Interests: virus-like particles; vaccines; infectious diseases; immunology; antibody; allergy; cancer immunotherapy and immunology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed the world, however with the advent of registered vaccines, a silver lining is on the horizon. These novel vaccines are, however, based on novel techniques, which do not yet have the full experience package of classical vaccines. On the other hand, the use of virus-like particles (VLPs) is one such classical vaccine approach. In this Special Issue of Vaccines, we would like to highlight the various efforts made and techniques used in the development of virus-like particle (VLP)-based COVID-19 vaccines. We would like to cover all aspects of vaccine development, from vaccine design to vaccine production, as well as preclinical and clinical efficacy. This Special Issue will highlight the power of the classical VLP-based approach und underline the importance that such avenues are still pursued to back up the vaccines currently undergoing registration. 

Prof. Dr. Martin Bachmann
Dr. Mona Mohsen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • virus-like particles (VLPs)
  • vaccine
  • vaccine design
  • vaccine development
  • vaccine production
  • pre-clinical studies
  • clinical trials

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5173 KiB  
Article
Chimeric Virus-like Particle-Based COVID-19 Vaccine Confers Strong Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Viremia in K18-hACE2 Mice
by Challika Kaewborisuth, Asawin Wanitchang, Surapong Koonpaew, Kanjana Srisutthisamphan, Janya Saenboonrueng, Rawiwan Im-Erbsin, Manutsanun Inthawong, Piyanate Sunyakumthorn, Theeradej Thaweerattanasinp, Nathiphat Tanwattana, Yuparat Jantraphakorn, Matthew C. Reed, Luis A. Lugo-Roman, Taweewun Hunsawong, Chonticha Klungthong, Anthony R. Jones, Stefan Fernandez, Samaporn Teeravechyan, Eric D. Lombardini and Anan Jongkaewwattana
Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050786 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4284
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are highly immunogenic and versatile subunit vaccines composed of multimeric viral proteins that mimic the whole virus but lack genetic material. Due to the lack of infectivity, VLPs are being developed as safe and effective vaccines against various infectious diseases. [...] Read more.
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are highly immunogenic and versatile subunit vaccines composed of multimeric viral proteins that mimic the whole virus but lack genetic material. Due to the lack of infectivity, VLPs are being developed as safe and effective vaccines against various infectious diseases. In this study, we generated a chimeric VLP-based COVID-19 vaccine stably produced by HEK293T cells. The chimeric VLPs contain the influenza virus A matrix (M1) proteins and the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain spike (S) proteins with a deletion of the polybasic furin cleavage motif and a replacement of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail with that of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA). These resulting chimeric S-M1 VLPs, displaying S and M1, were observed to be enveloped particles that are heterogeneous in shape and size. The intramuscular vaccination of BALB/c mice in a prime-boost regimen elicited high titers of S-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies. After immunization and a challenge with SARS-CoV-2 in K18-hACE2 mice, the S-M1 VLP vaccination resulted in a drastic reduction in viremia, as well as a decreased viral load in the lungs and improved survival rates compared to the control mice. Balanced Th1 and Th2 responses of activated S-specific T-cells were observed. Moderate degrees of inflammation and viral RNA in the lungs and brains were observed in the vaccinated group; however, brain lesion scores were less than in the PBS control. Overall, we demonstrate the immunogenicity of a chimeric VLP-based COVID-19 vaccine which confers strong protection against SARS-CoV-2 viremia in mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines)
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18 pages, 3721 KiB  
Article
Optimization, Production, Purification and Characterization of HIV-1 GAG-Based Virus-like Particles Functionalized with SARS-CoV-2
by Arnau Boix-Besora, Elianet Lorenzo, Jesús Lavado-García, Francesc Gòdia and Laura Cervera
Vaccines 2022, 10(2), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10020250 - 07 Feb 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3755
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) constitute a promising approach to recombinant vaccine development. They are robust, safe, versatile and highly immunogenic supra-molecular structures that closely mimic the native conformation of viruses without carrying their genetic material. HIV-1 Gag VLPs share similar characteristics with wild-type severe [...] Read more.
Virus-like particles (VLPs) constitute a promising approach to recombinant vaccine development. They are robust, safe, versatile and highly immunogenic supra-molecular structures that closely mimic the native conformation of viruses without carrying their genetic material. HIV-1 Gag VLPs share similar characteristics with wild-type severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, making them a suitable platform for the expression of its spike membrane protein to generate a potential vaccine candidate for COVID-19. This work proposes a methodology for the generation of SARS-CoV-2 VLPs by their co-expression with HIV-1 Gag protein. We achieved VLP functionalization with coronavirus spike protein, optimized its expression using a design of experiments (DoE). We also performed the bioprocess at a bioreactor scale followed by a scalable downstream purification process consisting of two clarifications, an ion exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. The whole production process is conceived to enhance its transferability at current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) industrial scale manufacturing. Moreover, the approach proposed could be expanded to produce additional Gag-based VLPs against different diseases or COVID-19 variants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines)
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13 pages, 8639 KiB  
Article
A Novel Double Mosaic Virus-like Particle-Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Incorporates Both Receptor Binding Motif (RBM) and Fusion Domain
by Xinyue Chang, Andris Zeltins, Mona O. Mohsen, Zahra Gharailoo, Lisha Zha, Xuelan Liu, Senta Walton, Monique Vogel and Martin F. Bachmann
Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111287 - 05 Nov 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2721
Abstract
COVID-19 has emerged, and has rapidly become a major health problem worldwide, causing millions of mortalities. Vaccination against COVID-19 is the most efficient way to stop the pandemic. The goal of vaccines is to induce neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here, we present [...] Read more.
COVID-19 has emerged, and has rapidly become a major health problem worldwide, causing millions of mortalities. Vaccination against COVID-19 is the most efficient way to stop the pandemic. The goal of vaccines is to induce neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here, we present a novel double mosaic virus-like particle (VLP) displaying two independent neutralizing epitopes, namely the receptor binding motif (RBM) located in S1 and the fusion peptide (AA 817–855) located in S2. CuMVTT virus-like particles were used as VLP scaffold and both domains were genetically fused in the middle of CuMVTT subunits, which co-assembled into double mosaic particles (CuMVTT-DF). A single fusion mosaic particle (CuMVTT-FP) containing the fusion peptide only was used for comparison. The vaccines were produced in E. coli, and electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering confirmed their integrity and homogeneity. In addition, the CuMVTT-DF vaccine was well recognized by ACE2 receptor, indicating that the RBM was in native conformation. Both CuMVTT-FP and CuMVTT-DF vaccines induced high levels of high avidity IgG antibodies as well as IgA recognizing spike and RBD in the case of CuMVTT-DF. Both vaccine candidates induced virus-neutralizing antibodies indicating that the fusion peptide can independently induce virus-neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, CuMVTT-DF containing both RBM and fusion peptide induced a higher level of neutralizing antibodies suggesting that the new double mosaic vaccine candidate CuMVTT-DF consisting of two antigens in one VLP maybe an attractive candidate for scale-up in a bacterial fermentation process for clinical development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines)
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14 pages, 2469 KiB  
Article
AP205 VLPs Based on Dimerized Capsid Proteins Accommodate RBM Domain of SARS-CoV-2 and Serve as an Attractive Vaccine Candidate
by Xuelan Liu, Xinyue Chang, Dominik Rothen, Mariliza Derveni, Pascal Krenger, Salony Roongta, Edward Wright, Monique Vogel, Kaspars Tars, Mona O. Mohsen and Martin F. Bachmann
Vaccines 2021, 9(4), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9040403 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4024
Abstract
COVID-19 is a novel disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has conquered the world rapidly resulting in a pandemic that massively impacts our health, social activities, and economy. It is likely that vaccination is the only way to form “herd immunity” and restore the [...] Read more.
COVID-19 is a novel disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has conquered the world rapidly resulting in a pandemic that massively impacts our health, social activities, and economy. It is likely that vaccination is the only way to form “herd immunity” and restore the world to normal. Here we developed a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 based on the virus-like particle AP205 displaying the spike receptor binding motif (RBM), which is the major target of neutralizing antibodies in convalescent patients. To this end, we genetically fused the RBM domain of SARS-CoV-2 to the C terminus of AP205 of dimerized capsid proteins. The fused VLPs were expressed in E. coli, which resulted in insoluble aggregates. These aggregates were denatured in 8 M urea followed by refolding, which reconstituted VLP formation as confirmed by electron microscopy analysis. Importantly, immunized mice were able to generate high levels of IgG antibodies recognizing eukaryotically expressed receptor binding domain (RBD) as well as spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, induced antibodies were able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2/ABS/NL20. Additionally, this vaccine candidate has the potential to be produced at large scale for immunization programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines)
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14 pages, 1809 KiB  
Article
Development of a Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 Based on the Receptor-Binding Domain Displayed on Virus-Like Particles
by Lisha Zha, Xinyue Chang, Hongxin Zhao, Mona O. Mohsen, Liang Hong, Yuhang Zhou, Hongquan Chen, Xuelan Liu, Jie Zhang, Dong Li, Ke Wu, Byron Martina, Junfeng Wang, Monique Vogel and Martin F. Bachmann
Vaccines 2021, 9(4), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9040395 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4594
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) first reported in Wuhan City, China. From there, it has been rapidly spreading to many cities inside and outside China. Nowadays, more than [...] Read more.
The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) first reported in Wuhan City, China. From there, it has been rapidly spreading to many cities inside and outside China. Nowadays, more than 110 million cases with deaths surpassing 2 million have been recorded worldwide, thus representing a major health and economic issues. Rapid development of a protective vaccine against COVID-19 is therefore of paramount importance. Here, we demonstrated that the recombinantly expressed receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein can be coupled to immunologically optimized virus-like particles derived from cucumber mosaic virus (CuMVTT). The RBD displayed CuMVTT bound to ACE2, the viral receptor, demonstrating proper folding of RBD. Furthermore, a highly repetitive display of the RBD on CuMVTT resulted in a vaccine candidate that induced high levels of specific antibodies in mice, which were able to block binding of the spike protein to ACE2 and potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 virus in vitro. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue VLP Based Coronavirus Vaccines)
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