Article
Microbiology
Antonina Naskalska, Agnieszka Dabrowska, Artur Szczepanski, Krzysztof P. Jasik, Beata Gromadzka, Krzysztof Pyrc
Summary: This study presents the efficient production of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles (VLPs) in insect cells, which closely resemble the native virus and allow for more extensive studies on the infection process. The VLPs lack the viral genome, making them safe for research, and can be purified using scalable affinity chromatography, demonstrating a new method for studying the virus.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abdullah M. Syed, Alison Ciling, Y. Taha Taha, Irene P. Chen, Mir M. Khalid, Bharath Sreekumar, Pei-Yi Chen, G. Renuka Kumar, Rahul Suryawanshi, Ines Silva, Bilal Milbes, Noah Kojima, Victoria Hess, Maria Shacreaw, Lauren Lopez, Matthew Brobeck, Fred Turner, Lee Spraggon, Takako Tabata, Melanie Ott, Jennifer A. Doudna
Summary: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has similar assembly efficiency and cell entry as the Delta variant but spreads rapidly due to reduced neutralization in sera from previously vaccinated subjects. Most currently available monoclonal antibodies are not effective in treating Omicron-infected patients, except for bebtelovimab.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Virology
Marcel Jaron, Michael Lehky, Marta Zara, Chris Nicole Zaydowicz, Aidin Lak, Rico Ballmann, Philip Alexander Heine, Esther Veronika Wenzel, Kai-Thomas Schneider, Federico Bertoglio, Susanne Kempter, Reinhard Wolfgang Koester, Silvia Stella Barbieri, Joop van den Heuvel, Michael Hust, Stefan Duebel, Maren Schubert
Summary: This study presents a fast and powerful method for producing SARS-CoV-2 VLPs in insect cells and evaluating their ability to inhibit monoclonal antibodies and sera from vaccinated donors. The method involves direct plasmid transfection to co-express specific viral proteins, resulting in the self-assembly of VLPs. The VLPs obtained were confirmed to have a diameter of approximately 145 nm and exhibited characteristic features by nanoparticle tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The fusion of membrane protein with GFP allowed for quantification of binding inhibition to ACE2 without the need for purification or labeling.
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heather Swann, Abhimanyu Sharma, Benjamin Preece, Abby Peterson, Crystal Eldredge, David M. Belnap, Michael Vershinin, Saveez Saffarian
Summary: The paper has been amended and a link is provided for access.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manon Gourdelier, Jitendriya Swain, Coline Arone, Anita Mouttou, David Bracquemond, Peggy Merida, Saveez Saffarian, Sebastien Lyonnais, Cyril Favard, Delphine Muriaux
Summary: This study provides new insights on the use of non-fluorescent and fluorescent VLPs to study and visualize the SARS-CoV-2 viral life cycle in a safe environment. Moreover, optimized SARS-CoV-2 VLP production can be further adapted to vaccine design strategies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Allergy
Mona O. Mohsen, Ina Balke, Simon Zinkhan, Villija Zeltina, Xuelan Liu, Xinyue Chang, Pascal S. Krenger, Kevin Plattner, Zahra Gharailoo, Anne-Cathrine S. Vogt, Gilles Augusto, Marianne Zwicker, Salony Roongta, Dominik A. Rothen, Romano Josi, Joana J. da Costa, Jan M. Sobczak, Aleksandra Nonic, Lee-Anne Brand, Katja Nuss, Byron Martina, Daniel E. Speiser, Thomas Kuendig, Gary T. Jennings, Senta M. Walton, Monique Vogel, Andris Zeltins, Martin F. Bachmann
Summary: CuMVTT-RBM vaccine candidate is highly immunogenic, inducing high avidity antibodies that show broad cross-reactivity to mutant receptor-binding domains of variants of concern. The production process is simple and the candidate vaccine remains stable for at least 14 months at 4 degrees Celsius.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ghada Elfayres, Ricky Raj Paswan, Laura Sika, Marie-Pierre Girard, Soumia Khalfi, Claire Letanneur, Keziah Milette, Amita Singh, Gary Kobinger, Lionel Berthoux
Summary: This study efficiently generated SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), which are self-assembled nanostructures composed of key viral structural proteins. Human cell lines were used to stably produce these VLPs using lentiviral vectors. The VLPs can bind to the virus natural receptors, allowing entry into cells and viral antigen presentation.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Balwant Singh, Zaigham Abbas Rizvi, Hilal Ahmad Parray, Jitender Kumar Verma, Sukanya Ghosh, Amitabha Mukhopadhyay, Amit Awasthi, Tripti Shrivastava, Manidipa Banerjee
Summary: This study demonstrates the generation and characterization of quadruple antigen SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles (VLPs). These VLPs exhibit morphological and antigenic similarity to the native virus and internalize into cells. Immunization with VLPs induces a strong immune response, suggesting their potential as an alternative vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Renata Gois de Mello, Thaissa Consoni Bernardino, Luis Giovani Oliveira Guardalini, Renato Mancini Astray, Marta Maria Antoniazzi, Simone Goncalves Silva Jared, Eutimio Gustavo Fernandez Nunez, Soraia Attie Calil Jorge
Summary: A method for producing virus-like particles containing the structural proteins of the Zika virus in insect cells was successfully established in this study. The recombinant bacmids containing the gene sequences of Zika virus structural proteins were obtained through transformation and infection assays. The virus-like particles were confirmed to exist and showed potential for the development of a Zika virus vaccine candidate.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Anne-Cathrine S. Vogt, Lukas Joerg, Byron Martina, Pascal S. Krenger, Xinyue Chang, Andris Zeltins, Monique Vogel, Mona O. Mohsen, Martin F. Bachmann
Summary: Heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategies using mRNA and virus-like particles can induce high levels of antibody responses and may optimize the efficacy and economics of novel vaccine strategies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Soo Khim Chan, Pinyi Du, Caroline Ignacio, Sanjay Mehta, Isabel G. Newton, Nicole F. Steinmetz
Summary: COVID-19 is a highly transmissible disease affecting majority of countries globally. The use of nucleic acid tests, especially RT-PCR, has become essential for early detection of infection. Generating biomimetic virus-like particles as positive controls can overcome the need for cold-chain distribution, providing reliable, scalable, and stable controls for clinical settings.
Article
Immunology
Youjun Mi, Lijuan Liang, Kun Xu, Qing Li, Wenting Wang, Wenrui Dang, Jiahui Deng, Yucheng Zhi, Xuefeng Li, Jiying Tan
Summary: The study demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 VLPs can induce dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and promote the production of inflammatory cytokines and expression of surface molecules through activation of various signaling pathways. Mature DCs subsequently enhance T cell proliferation, which is crucial for immune response.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Arnau Boix-Besora, Francesc Godia, Laura Cervera
Summary: This study investigates the effect of rational engineered mutations on the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 to improve its characteristics and evaluates their immunogenic potential by testing the recognition of generated VLP variants by COVID-19 convalescent patients' sera. The results of this study are important for the selection of S protein candidates for use as immunogens and highlight the potential of VLPs as carriers for antigen presentation.
Article
Immunology
Anne-Catherine Fluckiger, Barthelemy Ontsouka, Jasminka Bozic, Abebaw Diress, Tanvir Ahmed, Tamara Berthoud, Anh Tran, Diane Duque, Mingmin Liao, Michael McCluskie, Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, David E. Anderson, Catalina Soare
Summary: The study evaluated enveloped virus-like particles (eVLPs) expressing different forms of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and various adjuvants to identify a highly effective COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The selected eVLPs expressing a modified pre-fusion form of the spike protein induced high antibody binding titers and neutralizing activity in mice. The candidate vaccine, named VBI-2902a, provided protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in Syrian golden hamsters and is being clinically evaluated as a potent vaccine against COVID-19.
Article
Immunology
Ramireddy Bommireddy, Shannon Stone, Noopur Bhatnagar, Pratima Kumari, Luis E. Munoz, Judy Oh, Ki-Hye Kim, Jameson T. L. Berry, Kristen M. Jacobsen, Lahcen Jaafar, Swe-Htet Naing, Allison N. Blackerby, Tori Van der Gaag, Chloe N. Wright, Lilin Lai, Christopher D. Pack, Sampath Ramachandiran, Mehul S. Suthar, Sang-Moo Kang, Mukesh Kumar, Shaker J. C. Reddy, Periasamy Selvaraj
Summary: A hybrid vaccine using influenza virus-like particles (VLP) and protein fusion technology has been developed for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. The results demonstrate that the hybrid vaccine induces a strong antibody response and protects mice from both infections.
Article
Immunology
Wei Chen, Yige Bao, Xuerong Chen, Jeremy Burton, Xueli Gong, Dongqing Gu, Youjun Mi, Lang Bao
MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongqing Gu, Wei Chen, Youjun Mi, Xueli Gong, Tao Luo, Lang Bao
ACTA BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA SINICA
(2016)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tao Luo, Jinning Yuan, Xuan Peng, Guoping Yang, Youjun Mi, Changfeng Sun, Chuhan Wang, Chunxi Zhang, Lang Bao
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2017)
Article
Microbiology
Youjun Mi, Lang Bao, Dongqing Gu, Tao Luo, Changfeng Sun, Guoping Yang
RESEARCH IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2017)
Review
Immunology
Yu Jiang, Lincai Zhang, Zongjie Hou, Aixia Tu, Ruijuan Qiao, Chen Dai, Ning Yao, Xiufen Du, Yaning Xu, Jiying Tan
CURRENT HIV RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Jiangyuan Han, Yanlin Ma, Lan Ma, Daquan Tan, Hongxia Niu, Chunxiang Bai, Youjun Mi, Tao Xie, Wei Lv, Juan Wang, Bingdong Zhu
Summary: The study found that IL-7 can help TB subunit vaccine induce the formation of long-lived memory T cells, and increase the expression of the key transcription factors Id3, Bcl6, and Bach2. The adjuvant effects of transcriptional factors Bcl6 and Id3 can also increase the production of antibodies and long-lived memory T cells with high proliferative potential and IFN-gamma secretion after re-exposure to the same antigen.
Article
Immunology
Zongjie Hou, Yu Jiang, Lincai Zhang, Aixia Tu, Ting Liu, Xiufen Du, Chen Dai, Yaning Xu, Ruijuan Qiao, Jiying Tan
Summary: The study revealed a diversity of HIV-1 genotypes in far Northwestern Gansu Province, with CRF07_BC and CRF01_AE being predominant. Other subtypes and genotypes were also identified, providing critical information for HIV/AIDS control and prevention in the region.
AIDS RESEARCH AND HUMAN RETROVIRUSES
(2021)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ting Liu, Na Li, Zongjie Hou, Linsheng Liu, Lihong Gao, Lin Wang, Jiying Tan
Summary: Nutrition combined physical exercise interventions can improve global cognitive function in the aged with cognitive decline, but no statistical differences were found in specific cognitive domains. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of these interventions, particularly in older adults.
AGING CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Dongqing Gu, Tao Luo, Wei Chen, Youjun Mi, Xueli Gong, Lang Bao
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY
(2017)
