title: Genetically Thermo-Stabilised, Immunogenic Poliovirus Empty Capsids; a Strategy for Non-replicating Vaccines.
abstract: While wild type polio has been nearly eradicated there will be a need to continue immunisation programmes for some time because of the possibility of re-emergence and the existence of long term excreters of poliovirus. All vaccines in current use depend on growth of virus and most of the non-replicating (inactivated) vaccines involve wild type viruses known to cause poliomyelitis. The attenuated vaccine strains involved in the eradication programme have been used to develop new inactivated vaccines as production is thought safer. However it is known that the Sabin vaccine strains are genetically unstable and can revert to a virulent transmissible form. A possible solution to the need for virus growth would be to generate empty viral capsids by recombinant technology, but hitherto such particles are so unstable as to be unusable. We report here the genetic manipulation of the virus to generate stable empty capsids for all three serotypes. The particles are shown to be extremely stable and to generate high levels of protective antibodies in animal models.
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5400-1899
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knowlson
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Minor
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8687-1573
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Macadam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D051379:Mice; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D055550:Protein Stability
chemical_list: D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines