Improving immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccines for genital herpes containing herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D.

Abstract

No vaccines are approved for prevention or treatment of genital herpes. The focus of genital herpes vaccine trials has been on prevention using herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein D (gD2) alone or combined with glycoprotein B. These prevention trials did not achieve their primary end points. However, subset analyses reported some positive outcomes in each study. The most recent trial was the Herpevac Trial for Women that used gD2 with monophosphoryl lipid A and alum as adjuvants in herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 seronegative women. Unexpectedly, the vaccine prevented genital disease by HSV-1 but not HSV-2. Currently, HSV-1 causes more first episodes of genital herpes than HSV-2, highlighting the importance of protecting against HSV-1. The scientific community is conflicted between abandoning vaccine efforts that include gD2 and building upon the partial successes of previous trials. We favor building upon success and present approaches to improve outcomes of gD2-based subunit antigen vaccines.

• Authors: Sita Awasthi, Carolyn Shaw, Harvey Friedman
• Journal: Expert review of vaccines (Expert Rev Vaccines) Vol. 13 Issue 12 Pg. 1475-88 (Dec 2014) ISSN: 1744-8395 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25138572 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Review)

Chemical References

• Adjuvants, Immunologic
• Herpesvirus Vaccines
• Vaccines, Subunit
• Viral Envelope Proteins
• glycoprotein D-herpes simplex virus type 2

Topics

• Adjuvants, Immunologic (administration & dosage)
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• Female
• Herpes Genitalis (immunology, prevention & control)
• Herpesvirus 2, Human (genetics, immunology)
• Herpesvirus Vaccines (administration & dosage, genetics, immunology)
• Humans
• Treatment Outcome
• Vaccines, Subunit (administration & dosage, genetics, immunology)
• Viral Envelope Proteins (genetics, immunology)