Andreas Suhrbier
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia
Title: A new vector system for chikungunya and Zika combination vaccines
Biography
Biography: Andreas Suhrbier
Abstract
Herein we describe a novel vaccinia-derived vaccine vector platform termed Sementis Copenhagen Vector (SCV) which
has been genetically attenuated via removal of D13L, an essential viral assembly gene, rendering SCV incapable of
generating viral progeny in vivo. SCV can be propagated in CHO cells expressing D13L and the host-range factor, CP77,
thereby providing an industry standard manufacturing process. To illustrate the utility of SCV, a SCV-chikungunya vaccine
was generated that encoded the structural protein cassette of chikungunya virus, a virus that has recently re-emerged causing
millions of cases globally. A single vaccination was able to induce neutralizing antibody responses and protect mice from
chikungunya virus infection and arthritic disease. The SCV platform has the capacity for multiple large recombinant inserts,
with a combined chikungunya-Zika virus vaccine currently undergoing preclinical evaluation.