Development of a skin- and neuro-attenuated live vaccine for varicella

Varicella, caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is a significant global health concern. Current vaccines, using the live-attenuated vOka strain, are effective but have safety concerns due to neurovirulence and potential for herpes zoster reactivation. This study presents v7D, a rationally designed live-attenuated vaccine candidate. v7D replicates similarly to wild-type VZV in MRC-5 fibroblasts and PBMCs but shows severely impaired infection of skin and neuronal cells. Preclinical data in various animal models demonstrate comparable immunogenicity to vOka and good tolerability in nonhuman primates, suggesting v7D as a safer varicella vaccine candidate.

Wei Wang, Dequan Pan, Wenkun Fu, Xiangzhong Ye, Jinle Han, Lianwei Yang, Jizong Jia, Jian Liu, Rui Zhu, Yali Zhang, Che Liu, Jianghui Ye, Anca Selariu, Yuqiong Que, Qinjian Zhao, Ting Wu, Yimin Li, Jun Zhang, Tong Cheng, Hua Zhu, Ningshao Xia