This paper describes the development of a novel rabies virus vaccine candidate using a self-assembling nanoparticle engineered from the ferritinophagy complex. The engineered ferritinophagy (Fagy)-tag peptide shows enhanced binding to the ferritin nanoparticle, facilitating efficient antigen presentation. A self-assembling vaccine, conjugating Fagy-tagged rabies virus glycoprotein domain III (GDIII) to the nanoparticle, exhibits superior homogeneity, stability, and immunogenicity. The vaccine induces potent and durable immune responses, protecting mice against rabies virus challenge after a single dose. This platform holds potential for developing vaccines against various pathogens.

Dan Fu, Wenming Wang, Yan Zhang, Fan Zhang, Pinyi Yang, Chun Yang, Yufei Tian, Renqi Yao, Jingwu Jian, Zixian Sun, Nan Zhang, Zhiyu Ni, Zihe Rao, Lei Zhao, Yu Guo