Riede O, Seifert K, Oswald D, Endmann A, Hock C, Winkler A, Salguero F J, Schroff M, Croft S L, Juhls C
MOLOGEN AG, Berlin, Germany.
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Gene Ther. 2015 Aug;22(8):628-35. doi: 10.1038/gt.2015.35. Epub 2015 Apr 30.
The leishmaniases are a complex of vector-borne diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. LEISHDNAVAX is a multi-antigen, T-cell epitope-enriched DNA vaccine candidate against human leishmaniasis. The vaccine candidate has been proven immunogenic and showed prophylactic efficacy in preclinical studies. Here, we describe the safety testing of LEISHDNAVAX in naive mice and rats, complemented by the demonstration of tolerability in Leishmania-infected mice. Biodistribution and persistence were examined following single and repeated intradermal (i.d.) administration to rats. DNA vectors were distributed systemically but did not accumulate upon repeated injections. Although vector DNA was cleared from most other tissues within 60 days after the last injection, it persisted in skin at the site of injection and in draining lymph nodes. Evaluation of single-dose and repeated-dose toxicity of the vaccine candidate after i.d. administration to naive, non-infected mice did not reveal any safety concerns. LEISHDNAVAX was also well tolerated in Leishmania-infected mice. Taken together, our results substantiate a favorable safety profile of LEISHDNAVAX in both naive and infected animals and thus, support the initiation of clinical trials for both preventive and therapeutic applications of the vaccine.
利什曼病是由利什曼原虫属的原生动物寄生虫引起的一组媒介传播疾病。LEISHDNAVAX是一种针对人类利什曼病的多抗原、富含T细胞表位的DNA候选疫苗。该候选疫苗已被证明具有免疫原性,并在临床前研究中显示出预防效果。在此,我们描述了LEISHDNAVAX在未接触过疫苗的小鼠和大鼠中的安全性测试,并通过在感染利什曼原虫的小鼠中证明其耐受性进行补充。在对大鼠进行单次和重复皮内注射后,检查了其生物分布和持久性。DNA载体全身分布,但在重复注射后不会积累。尽管在最后一次注射后60天内,载体DNA从大多数其他组织中清除,但它仍存在于注射部位的皮肤和引流淋巴结中。对未接触过疫苗、未感染的小鼠进行皮内注射后,评估该候选疫苗的单剂量和重复剂量毒性,未发现任何安全问题。LEISHDNAVAX在感染利什曼原虫的小鼠中也具有良好的耐受性。综上所述,我们的结果证实了LEISHDNAVAX在未接触过疫苗和感染动物中均具有良好的安全性,因此,支持启动该疫苗预防和治疗应用的临床试验。