title: Development of recombinant Sendai virus vaccines for prevention of human parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections.
abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human parainfluenza viruses (hPIVs) are the most important causes of hospitalization for viral respiratory tract diseases in infants and young children. Unfortunately, there are currently no licensed vaccines for prevention of these infections. Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are now developing Sendai virus (SV), a natural respiratory pathogen of mice, as a Jennerian vaccine for hPIV-1, and as a vaccine backbone for the prevention of RSV and other hPIVs. Unmodified SV is currently being tested in the clinic. Thus far, the vaccine has been well tolerated. Preclinical studies also continue and have demonstrated that intranasal vaccinations with recombinant SV expressing an RSV antigen are sufficient to activate high-magnitude RSV-specific neutralizing B- and T-cell activities in a cotton rat system. Furthermore, vaccinated animals are completely protected against RSV challenges. As clinical safety studies progress, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital researchers are also working to formulate a SV-based cocktail vaccine designed to prevent several hPIV and RSV infections in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. julia.hurwitz@stjude.org
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007223:Infant; D022241:Parainfluenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022261:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D029082:Sendai virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D022241:Parainfluenza Vaccines; D022261:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines