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Lessons Learned from the Development and Roll-Out of the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Zaire ebolavirus Vaccine to Inform Marburg Virus and Sudan ebolavirus Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10091446. [PMID: 36146524 PMCID: PMC9505064 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This review describes key aspects of the development of the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine and key activities which are continuing to further expand our knowledge of the product. Extensive partnerships and innovative approaches were used to address the various challenges encountered during this process. The rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine was initially approved by the European Medicines Agency and prequalified by the World Health Organization in November 2019. It was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 2019 and approved in five African countries within 90 days of prequalification. The development resulted in the first stockpile of a registered Ebola vaccine that is available to support outbreak response. This also provides insights into how the example of rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP can inform the development of vaccines for Sudan ebolavirus, Marburg virus, and other emerging epidemic diseases in terms of the types of approaches and data needed to support product registration, availability, and the use of a filovirus vaccine.
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Baldo A, Leunda A, Willemarck N, Pauwels K. Environmental Risk Assessment of Recombinant Viral Vector Vaccines against SARS-Cov-2. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:453. [PMID: 34063733 PMCID: PMC8147846 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Over the past months, considerable efforts have been put into developing effective and safe drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Various platforms are being used for the development of COVID-19 vaccine candidates: recombinant viral vectors, protein-based vaccines, nucleic acid-based vaccines, and inactivated/attenuated virus. Recombinant viral vector vaccine candidates represent a significant part of those vaccine candidates in clinical development, with two already authorised for use in the European Union and one currently under rolling review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Since recombinant viral vector vaccine candidates are considered as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their regulatory oversight includes besides an assessment of their quality, safety and efficacy, also an environmental risk assessment (ERA). The present article highlights the main characteristics of recombinant viral vector vaccine (candidates) against SARS-CoV-2 in the pipeline and discusses their features from an environmental risk point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Baldo
- Sciensano, Service Biosafety and Biotechnology, Rue Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium; (A.L.); (N.W.); (K.P.)
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Morozov I, Monath TP, Meekins DA, Trujillo JD, Sunwoo SY, Urbaniak K, Kim IJ, Narayanan SK, Indran SV, Ma W, Wilson WC, O'Connor C, Dubey S, Troth SP, Coller BA, Nichols R, Martin BK, Feldmann H, Richt JA. High dose of vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Ebola virus vaccine causes vesicular disease in swine without horizontal transmission. Emerg Microbes Infect 2021; 10:651-663. [PMID: 33719915 PMCID: PMC8023602 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2021.1903343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe recent impact of Ebola virus disease (EVD) on public health in Africa clearly demonstrates the need for a safe and efficacious vaccine to control outbreaks and mitigate its threat to global health. ERVEBO® is an effective recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV)-vectored Ebola virus vaccine (VSV-EBOV) that was approved by the FDA and EMA in late 2019 for use in prevention of EVD. Since the parental virus VSV, which was used to construct VSV-EBOV, is pathogenic for livestock and the vaccine virus may be shed at low levels by vaccinated humans, widespread deployment of the vaccine requires investigation into its infectivity and transmissibility in VSV-susceptible livestock species. We therefore performed a comprehensive clinical analysis of the VSV-EBOV vaccine virus in swine to determine its infectivity and potential for transmission. A high dose of VSV-EBOV resulted in VSV-like clinical signs in swine, with a proportion of pigs developing ulcerative vesicular lesions at the nasal injection site and feet. Uninoculated contact control pigs co-mingled with VSV-EBOV-inoculated pigs did not become infected or display any clinical signs of disease, indicating the vaccine is not readily transmissible to naïve pigs during prolonged close contact. In contrast, virulent wild-type VSV Indiana had a shorter incubation period and was transmitted to contact control pigs. These results indicate that the VSV-EBOV vaccine causes vesicular illness in swine when administered at a high dose. Moreover, the study demonstrates the VSV-EBOV vaccine is not readily transmitted to uninfected pigs, encouraging its safe use as an effective human vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Morozov
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Thomas P Monath
- Bioprotection Systems, Inc, a subsidiary of NewLink Genetics Corp, Ames, IA, USA
| | - David A Meekins
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Jessie D Trujillo
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Sun-Young Sunwoo
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Kinga Urbaniak
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - In Joong Kim
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Sanjeev K Narayanan
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Sabarish V Indran
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Wenjun Ma
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - William C Wilson
- Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Richard Nichols
- Bioprotection Systems, Inc, a subsidiary of NewLink Genetics Corp, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Brian K Martin
- Bioprotection Systems, Inc, a subsidiary of NewLink Genetics Corp, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Juergen A Richt
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
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Haddow AD, Rowland TE, Norris SL, Sprague TR, Lopez JO, Carder MC, Linton YM, Pitt MLM. No Evidence of rVSV-Ebola Virus Vaccine Replication or Dissemination in the Sand Fly Phlebotomus papatasi. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021; 104:1093-1095. [PMID: 33534737 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Following vaccination with the live attenuated, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus Indiana serotype Ebola virus (rVSV-EBOV) vaccine, persons may exhibit a transient vaccine-associated viremia. To investigate the potential for Old World sand flies to transmit this vaccine following feeding on a viremic person, we fed laboratory-reared Phlebotomus papatasi an artificial blood meal containing 7.2 log10 plaque-forming units of rVSV-EBOV. Replication or dissemination was not detected in the body or legs of any P. papatasi collected at seven (n = 75) or 15 (n = 75) days post-feed. These results indicate a low potential for rVSV-EBOV to replicate and disseminate in P. papatasi, a species whose geographic distribution ranges from Morocco to southwest Asia and as far north as southern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Haddow
- 1United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, Maryland
| | - Tobin E Rowland
- 2Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Sarah L Norris
- 1United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, Maryland
| | - Thomas R Sprague
- 1United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, Maryland
| | - Jorge O Lopez
- 2Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Mark C Carder
- 2Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Yvonne-Marie Linton
- 3Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Smithsonian Museum Support Center, Suitland, Maryland.,4Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - M Louise M Pitt
- 1United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Frederick, Maryland
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Tell JG, Coller BAG, Dubey SA, Jenal U, Lapps W, Wang L, Wolf J. Environmental Risk Assessment for rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP, a Genetically Modified Live Vaccine for Ebola Virus Disease. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8040779. [PMID: 33352786 PMCID: PMC7767225 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP is a live, attenuated, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based vaccine for the prevention of Ebola virus disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus. As a replication-competent genetically modified organism, rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP underwent various environmental evaluations prior to approval, the most in-depth being the environmental risk assessment (ERA) required by the European Medicines Agency. This ERA, as well as the underlying methodology used to arrive at a sound conclusion about the environmental risks of rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP, are described in this review. Clinical data from vaccinated adults demonstrated only infrequent, low-level shedding and transient, low-level viremia, indicating a low person-to-person infection risk. Animal data suggest that it is highly unlikely that vaccinated individuals would infect animals with recombinant virus vaccine or that rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP would spread within animal populations. Preclinical studies in various hematophagous insect vectors showed that these species were unable to transmit rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP. Pathogenicity risk in humans and animals was found to be low, based on clinical and preclinical data. The overall risk for non-vaccinated individuals and the environment is thus negligible and can be minimized further through defined mitigation strategies. This ERA and the experience gained are relevant to developing other rVSV-based vaccines, including candidates under investigation for prevention of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan G. Tell
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Beth-Ann G. Coller
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
| | - Sheri A. Dubey
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
| | - Ursula Jenal
- Jenal & Partners Biosafety Consulting, 4310 Rheinfelden, Switzerland;
| | - William Lapps
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
| | - Liman Wang
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
| | - Jayanthi Wolf
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (B.-A.G.C.); (S.A.D.); (W.L.); (L.W.); (J.W.)
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Efficient Expression and Processing of Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Induces Morphological Changes in BmN Cells but Cannot Rescue Deficiency of Bombyx Mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus GP64. Viruses 2019; 11:v11111067. [PMID: 31731691 PMCID: PMC6893839 DOI: 10.3390/v11111067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ebola virus (EBOV) disease outbreaks have resulted in many fatalities, yet no licensed vaccines are available to prevent infection. Recombinant glycoprotein (GP) production may contribute to finding a cure for Ebola virus disease, which is the key candidate protein for vaccine preparation. To explore GP1,2 expression in BmN cells, EBOV-GP1,2 with its native signal peptide or the GP64 signal peptide was cloned and transferred into a normal or gp64 null Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) bacmid via transposition. The infectivity of the recombinant bacmids was investigated after transfection, expression and localization of EBOV-GP were investigated, and cell morphological changes were analyzed by TEM. The GP64 signal peptide, but not the GP1,2 native signal peptide, caused GP1,2 localization to the cell membrane, and the differentially localized GP1,2 proteins were cleaved into GP1 and GP2 fragments in BmN cells. GP1,2 expression resulted in dramatic morphological changes in BmN cells in the early stage of infection. However, GP1,2 expression did not rescue GP64 deficiency in BmNPV infection. This study provides a better understanding of GP expression and processing in BmN cells, which may lay a foundation for EBOV-GP expression using the BmNPV baculovirus expression system.
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Monath TP, Fast PE, Modjarrad K, Clarke DK, Martin BK, Fusco J, Nichols R, Heppner DG, Simon JK, Dubey S, Troth SP, Wolf J, Singh V, Coller BA, Robertson JS. rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (also designated V920) recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus pseudotyped with Ebola Zaire Glycoprotein: Standardized template with key considerations for a risk/benefit assessment. Vaccine X 2019; 1:100009. [PMID: 31384731 PMCID: PMC6668225 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2019.100009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Brighton Collaboration Viral Vector Vaccines Safety Working Group (V3SWG) was formed to evaluate the safety and characteristics of live, recombinant viral vector vaccines. A recent publication by the V3SWG described live, attenuated, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) as a chimeric virus vaccine for HIV-1 (Clarke et al., 2016). The rVSV vector system is being explored as a platform for development of multiple vaccines. This paper reviews the molecular and biological features of the rVSV vector system, followed by a template with details on the safety and characteristics of a rVSV vaccine against Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV). The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine is a live, replication competent vector in which the VSV glycoprotein (G) gene is replaced with the glycoprotein (GP) gene of ZEBOV. Multiple copies of GP are expressed and assembled into the viral envelope responsible for inducing protective immunity. The vaccine (designated V920) was originally constructed by the National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, further developed by NewLink Genetics Corp. and Merck & Co., and is now in final stages of registration by Merck. The vaccine is attenuated by deletion of the principal virulence factor of VSV (the G protein), which also removes the primary target for anti-vector immunity. The V920 vaccine caused no toxicities after intramuscular (IM) or intracranial injection of nonhuman primates and no reproductive or developmental toxicity in a rat model. In multiple studies, cynomolgus macaques immunized IM with a wide range of virus doses rapidly developed ZEBOV-specific antibodies measured in IgG ELISA and neutralization assays and were fully protected against lethal challenge with ZEBOV virus. Over 20,000 people have received the vaccine in clinical trials; the vaccine has proven to be safe and well tolerated. During the first few days after vaccination, many vaccinees experience a mild acute-phase reaction with fever, headache, myalgia, and arthralgia of short duration; this period is associated with a low-level viremia, activation of anti-viral genes, and increased levels of chemokines and cytokines. Oligoarthritis and rash appearing in the second week occur at a low incidence, and are typically mild-moderate in severity and self-limited. V920 vaccine was used in a Phase III efficacy trial during the West African Ebola epidemic in 2015, showing 100% protection against Ebola Virus Disease, and it has subsequently been deployed for emergency control of Ebola outbreaks in central Africa. The template provided here provides a comprehensive picture of the first rVSV vector to reach the final stage of development and to provide a solution to control of an alarming human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patricia E Fast
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY 10004, United States
| | - Kayvon Modjarrad
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
| | | | | | - Joan Fusco
- NewLink Genetics Corp, Ames, IA, United States
| | | | | | - Jakub K Simon
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, United States
| | - Sheri Dubey
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, United States
| | - Sean P Troth
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, United States
| | - Jayanthi Wolf
- Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, United States
| | - Vidisha Singh
- Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
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