1. Repeated-Dose Toxicity, Biodistribution, and Shedding Assessments With a ChAd155 Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Candidate Evaluated in Rabbits and Rats
- Author
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Alan H. Stokes, Camille Planty, Johanne Pion, Philippe Ancian, Alexandra Rogue, Carine Bansard, Jérémy Silvano, Dominique Papineau, Nawel Ben Abdeljelil, Giulietta Maruggi, Haifeng Song, Catherine Spickler, Karine Blouin, Guillaume Dubois, Luis-Alexander Rodriguez, Judith Baumeister, Ann-Muriel Steff, and Eric Destexhe
- Subjects
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human ,Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines ,Animals ,Humans ,Tissue Distribution ,Rabbits ,Toxicology ,Antibodies, Viral ,Antibodies, Neutralizing ,Viral Fusion Proteins ,Rats - Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infants, and toddlers and vaccines are not yet available. A pediatric RSV vaccine (ChAd155-RSV) is being developed to protect infants against RSV disease. The ChAd155-RSV vaccine consists of a recombinant replication-deficient chimpanzee-derived adenovirus (ChAd) group C vector engineered to express the RSV antigens F, N, and M2-1. The local and systemic effects of three bi-weekly intramuscular injections of the ChAd155-RSV vaccine was tested in a repeated-dose toxicity study in rabbits. After three intramuscular doses, the ChAd155-RSV vaccine was considered well-tolerated. Changes due to the vaccine-elicited inflammatory reaction/immune response were observed along with transient decreases in platelet count without physiological consequences, already reported for other adenovirus-based vaccines. In addition, the biodistribution and shedding of ChAd155-RSV were also characterized in two studies in rats. The distribution and persistence of the ChAd155-RSV vaccine candidate was consistent with other similar adenovector-based vaccines, with quantifiable levels of ChAd155-RSV observed at the injection site (muscle) and the draining lymph nodes up to 69 days post administration. The shedding results demonstrated that ChAd155-RSV was generally not detectable in any secretions or excreta samples. In conclusion, the ChAd155-RSV vaccine was well-tolerated locally and systemically.
- Published
- 2022