Improved protection against avian influenza H5N1 virus by a single vaccination with virus-like particles in skin using microneedles

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jae-Min Song, Emory University; Yeu-Chun Kim, Georgia Institute of Technology; Peter G. Barlow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; M. Jaber Hossain, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Kyoung-Mi Park, Emory University; Ruben O. Donis, Emory University; Mark R. Prausnitz, Emory University; Richard W. Compans, Emory University; Sang-Moo Kang, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-11
• Publisher: Elsevier Masson
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2010.09.001
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Antiviral Research
• ISSN: 0166-3542
• Volume: 88
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 244
• End Page: 247
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported in part by NIH/NIBIB grant EB006369 (M.R.P.), NIH/NIAID grant AI0680003 and AI074579 (R.W.C.), the Georgia Research Alliance (S.M.K) and the Korea Research Foundation Grant KRF-2007-357-C00088 (J.M.S).
• Keywords: H5N1; single dose; skin vaccination; pandemic vaccine; microneedles
• Research Categories: Biology, Microbiology; Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

Summary To develop a more effective vaccination method against H5N1 virus, we investigated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy after skin vaccination using microneedles coated with influenza virus-like particles containing hemagglutinin derived from A/Vietnam/1203/04 H5N1 virus (H5 VLPs). A single microneedle vaccination of mice with H5 VLPs induced increased levels of antibodies and provided complete protection against lethal challenge without apparent disease symptoms. In contrast, intramuscular injection with the same vaccine dose showed low levels of antibodies and provided only partial protection accompanied by severe body weight loss. Post-challenge analysis suggested that improved protection was associated with lower lung viral titers and enhanced generation of recall antibody secreting cells by microneedle vaccination. Thus, this study provides evidence that skin delivery of H5 VLP vaccines using microneedles designed for self-administration induces improved protection compared to conventional intramuscular immunization.