title: A novel approach for addressing diseases not yielding to effective vaccination? Immunization by replication-competent controlled virus.
abstract: Vaccination involves inoculation of a subject with a disabled disease-causing microbe or parts thereof. While vaccination has been highly successful, we still lack sufficiently effective vaccines for important infectious diseases. We propose that a more complete immune response than that elicited from a vaccine may be obtained from immunization with a disease-causing virus modified to subject replication-essential genes to the control of a gene switch activated by non-lethal heat in the presence of a drug-like compound. Upon inoculation, strictly localized replication of the virus would be triggered by a heat dose administered to the inoculation site. Activated virus would transiently replicate with an efficiency approaching that of the disease-causing virus and express all viral antigens. It may also vector heterologous antigens or control co-infecting microbes.
authors: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Sciences, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Voellmy
authors: David C
authors: DC
authors: Bloom
authors: Nuria
authors: N
authors: Vilaboa
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014780:Viruses / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens
keywords: HSV; controlled replication; heat-activated and ligand-activated gene switches; regulation of replication-essential genes; replication-competent virus; vaccination; viral immunization agent