Herpes vaccine candidates have alternative approaches

Non-neuroinvasive herpes simplex virus variant could be a highly regarded vaccine candidate The worldwide need for an effective herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine remains a priority because it is a common infection that causes physical and economic disadvantages. A new study published by Nature on November 6, 2020, reported the recent ‘failure of the subunit gD2 vaccine in a clinical trial demonstrated that new approaches to HSV vaccines are needed, especially those that present multiple HSV antigens.’ ‘R2 is an attractive candidate because it is specifically ablated for retrograde axonal transport and therefore fails to invade the peripheral and central nervous systems, as initially demonstrated in mice and validated here in guinea pigs.’ ‘The potential utility of a non-neuroinvasive HSV variant as a vaccine is highly regarded. However, early mutant viruses that were attenuated for neurotropism generally had broader replication defects in vivo that limited antigen presentation.’ Nebraska’s Gary Pickard and Patricia Sollars, alongside Northwestern’s...