An mRNA vaccine candidate encoding H5HA clade 2.3.4.4b protects mice from clade 2.3.2.1a virus infection

Shiho Chiba; Maki Kiso; Shinya Yamada; Kazuhiko Someya; Yoshikuni Onodera; Aya Yamaguchi; Satoko Matsunaga; Ryuta Uraki; Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto; Seiya Yamayoshi; Fumihiko Takeshita; Yoshihiro Kawaoka

doi:10.1038/s41541-024-00988-9

An mRNA vaccine candidate encoding H5HA clade 2.3.4.4b protects mice from clade 2.3.2.1a virus infection

NPJ Vaccines. 2024 Oct 14;9(1):189. doi: 10.1038/s41541-024-00988-9.

Authors

Shiho Chiba^{1

2

3}, Maki Kiso^{1

3}, Shinya Yamada⁴, Kazuhiko Someya⁴, Yoshikuni Onodera⁴, Aya Yamaguchi⁴, Satoko Matsunaga⁴, Ryuta Uraki^{1

3

5}, Kiyoko Iwatsuki-Horimoto^{1

3}, Seiya Yamayoshi^{1

3

5}, Fumihiko Takeshita⁴, Yoshihiro Kawaoka^{6

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.
² Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53711, USA.
³ Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan.
⁴ Vaccine Research Laboratories, Research Function, R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, 134-0081, Japan.
⁵ The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
⁶ Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center (UTOPIA), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan. [email protected].
⁷ Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53711, USA. [email protected].
⁸ Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan. [email protected].
⁹ The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan. [email protected].

Abstract

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 viruses from different clades have been circulating globally, threatening wild/domestic birds and mammals. Given frequent spillovers and high mortality among mammals, coupled with our inability to predict which clade of H5 virus has pandemic potential, cross-clade protective HPAI H5 vaccines are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of a lipid nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccine modality to induce cross-protective immunity against lethal HPAI virus infection.

Abstract

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