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Published on: January 26, 2019
Current State and Challenges in Developing Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines
Carlotta Biagi1, Arianna Dondi1, Sara Scarpini1
1Pediatric Emergency Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Sant'Orsola University Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Insights
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe respiratory infections in infants and the elderly. This review details the progress in developing safe and effective RSV vaccines, a critical global health need.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe acute respiratory tract infections in infants and the elderly.
- Current prevention relies on hygiene and costly monoclonal antibodies for limited high-risk infants.
- There is a significant global health need for safe and effective RSV vaccines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of RSV vaccine research and development.
- To highlight vaccine candidates that have reached the clinical stage.
- To discuss the implications of RSV vaccine research for clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Review of current scientific literature on RSV vaccine development.
- Focus on vaccine candidates in clinical trials.
- Analysis of different vaccine formats including particle-based, vector-based, subunit, and live-attenuated vaccines.
Main Results:
- Multiple RSV vaccine candidates across various formats are in development, with many in clinical trials.
- Different vaccine platforms show promise for preventing RSV infection.
- Ongoing research aims to address the global health challenge posed by RSV.
Conclusions:
- The development of safe and effective RSV vaccines is a priority.
- Several promising vaccine candidates are advancing through clinical trials.
- Until vaccines are widely available, immune prophylaxis remains crucial for high-risk populations.
Abstract:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main cause of acute respiratory tract infections in infants and it also induces significant disease in the elderly. The clinical course may be severe, especially in high-risk populations (infants and elderly), with a large number of deaths in developing countries and of intensive care hospitalizations worldwide. To date, prevention strategies against RSV infection is based on hygienic measures and passive immunization with humanized monoclonal antibodies, limited to selected high-risk children due to their high costs. The development of a safe and effective vaccine is a global health need and an important objective of research in this field. A growing number of RSV vaccine candidates in different formats (particle-based vaccines, vector-based vaccines, subunit vaccines and live-attenuated vaccines) are being developed and are now at different stages, many of them already being in the clinical stage. While waiting for commercially available safe and effective vaccines, immune prophylaxis in selected groups of high-risk populations is still mandatory. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art of the RSV vaccine research and its implications for clinical practice, focusing on the characteristics of the vaccines that reached the clinical stage of development.
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