LeBlanc Ralph, Vasquez Yessika, Hannaman Drew, Kumar Nirbhay
Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Vaccine. 2008 Jan 10;26(2):185-92. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.10.066. Epub 2007 Nov 20.
Pfs25 is a promising target antigen for the development of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine and prior research has demonstrated induction of high and functionally effective antibodies in mice with IM injection of Pfs25 encoding DNA plasmid. Likewise, Pfs25 DNA vaccine was immunogenic in rhesus macaques but required a protein boost to elicit significant transmission-blocking antibodies. The translation of these encouraging findings to human clinical trials has been impeded largely by the relatively poor immunogenicity of DNA plasmids in larger animals. In vivo electroporation (EP) has revealed significant enhancement of the potency of DNA plasmids. The results reported here compared the immunogenicity and functional transmission-blocking effects of immunization with DNA plasmid (25 microg) by the traditional IM route compared to coupling the IM injection (0.25, 2.5 and 25 microg doses) with in vivo EP. Significantly, a 0.25 microg dose of DNA plasmid, when administered with EP, induced antibody titers (1:160,000) and functional transmission-blocking effects that were equivalent to those achieved by a one hundred fold higher (25 microg) dose of DNA plasmid given without EP. At a 25.0 microg DNA dose with or without EP there was sufficient antigenic stimulation to result in effective antibody titers; however EP method yielded antibody titer of 1:1,280,000 as compared to only 1:160,000 titer without EP. This observed two log reduction in the amount of DNA plasmid required to induce significant transmission-blocking effects makes a compelling argument in favor of further evaluation of DNA vaccines by in vivo EP method in larger animals. Further experiments in non-human primates and eventually in phase I human trials will determine if the use of EP will induce effective and sustained malaria transmission-blocking effects at acceptable doses of plasmid DNA.
Pfs25是开发疟疾传播阻断疫苗的一个很有前景的靶抗原,先前的研究表明,通过肌肉注射编码Pfs25的DNA质粒,可在小鼠体内诱导产生高效且功能有效的抗体。同样,Pfs25 DNA疫苗在恒河猴中具有免疫原性,但需要蛋白质加强免疫才能引发显著的传播阻断抗体。这些令人鼓舞的研究结果向人体临床试验的转化在很大程度上受到了DNA质粒在大型动物中相对较差的免疫原性的阻碍。体内电穿孔(EP)已显示出可显著增强DNA质粒的效力。此处报告的结果比较了传统肌肉注射途径接种DNA质粒(25微克)与肌肉注射(0.25、2.5和25微克剂量)联合体内电穿孔的免疫原性和功能传播阻断效果。值得注意的是,0.25微克剂量的DNA质粒与电穿孔联合使用时,诱导的抗体滴度(1:160,000)和功能传播阻断效果与不进行电穿孔时给予的高100倍(25微克)剂量的DNA质粒所达到的效果相当。在25.0微克DNA剂量下,无论有无电穿孔,都有足够的抗原刺激导致有效的抗体滴度;然而,电穿孔方法产生的抗体滴度为1:1,280,000,而无电穿孔时仅为1:160,000滴度。观察到诱导显著传播阻断效果所需的DNA质粒量减少了两个对数,这有力地支持了在大型动物中通过体内电穿孔方法进一步评估DNA疫苗。在非人类灵长类动物中进一步开展实验,并最终进行I期人体试验,将确定使用电穿孔是否能在可接受的质粒DNA剂量下诱导有效且持续的疟疾传播阻断效果。