Induction of adaptive immunity by a novel influenza vaccine: immunization by mRNA administration

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the major strategies available for combating viral infections in humans. The seasonal inactivated influenza virus vaccine elicits type-specific, protective neutralizing antibodies that are detectable in the serum of a vaccinated person; however, the very nature of the virus requires a reformulation of the vaccine to match the currently circulating strains in any given year. In the present study, a novel vaccination approach was developed to induce protective immunity against Influenza A. The approach consisted of delivering naked or protected mRNA encoding for Hemagglutinin as a vaccine. The vaccine was administrated to B6C3Fl mice and the overall immune response raised by an mRNA-based vaccine was assessed through the evaluation of the cellular and humoral responses induced by this type of vaccination and the in vitro protection it confers against Influenza A virus. Results from these studies suggest that rnRNA vaccination in the context of infectious diseases, specifically influenza, is feasible and that mRNA vaccines are capable of inducing a balanced immune response as characterized by the production of protective neutralizing antibodies and the induction of cellular immunity against influenza.