%0 Journal Article
%T Effective Chikungunya Virus-like Particle Vaccine Produced in Insect Cells
%A Stefan W. Metz
%A Joy Gardner
%A Corinne Geertsema
%A Thuy T. Le
%A Lucas Goh
%A Just M. Vlak
%A Andreas Suhrbier
%A Gorben P. Pijlman
%J PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
%D 2013
%I Public Library of Science (PLoS)
%R 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002124
%X The emerging arthritogenic, mosquito-borne chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes severe disease in humans and represents a serious public health threat in countries where Aedes spp mosquitoes are present. This study describes for the first time the successful production of CHIKV virus-like particles (VLPs) in insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses. This well-established expression system is rapidly scalable to volumes required for epidemic responses and proved well suited for processing of CHIKV glycoproteins and production of enveloped VLPs. Herein we show that a single immunization with 1 ¦̀g of non-adjuvanted CHIKV VLPs induced high titer neutralizing antibody responses and provided complete protection against viraemia and joint inflammation upon challenge with the R¨¦union Island CHIKV strain in an adult wild-type mouse model of CHIKV disease. CHIKV VLPs produced in insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses thus represents as a new, safe, non-replicating and effective vaccine candidate against CHIKV infections.
%U http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002124