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Surface Functionalization of Hepatitis E Virus Nanoparticles Using Chemical Conjugation Methods
Published on: May 11, 2018
Use of hepadnavirus core proteins as vaccine platforms
David C Whitacre1, Byung O Lee, David R Milich
1Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. dwhitacre@vrisd.org
Abstract:
The first virus-like particle to be tested for use as a vaccine carrier was based on the hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid protein. This viral subunit, while not infectious on its own, is a 36-nm particle that is highly immunogenic during a natural infection. The self-assembly and high degree of immunogenicity is maintained when expressed as a recombinant protein and, moreover, can confer a high degree of immunogenicity on foreign antigens linked to the particle, either chemically or genetically. This review describes the current state of the hepadnaviral core protein as a vaccine carrier.
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