Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Utilizing the Antigen Capsid-Incorporation Strategy for the Development of Adenovirus Serotype 5-Vectored Vaccine Approaches
Published on: May 6, 2015
Modifications to the HIV-1 SAAVI MVA-C vaccine improve in vitro expression and in vivo immunogenicity
Nicola Douglass1, Michiel T van Diepen1, Rosamund Chapman1
1Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Abstract:
Two HIV-1 vaccines (SAAVI DNA-C2 and SAAVI MVA-C) were previously developed in South Africa and tested in preclinical studies and Phase 1 clinical trials. Here we report on improvements made to the SAAVI MVA-C vaccine design which include: the use of different promoters for both the Gag and Env genes, replacement of the native Gag gene with an in silico designed subtype C mosaic Gag antigen which forms virus-like particles and the modification of Env by sequence changes to improve stability and transport to the cell surface. A head-to-head comparison of the newly conceived MVAGD5 candidate vaccine with SAAVI MVA-C showed increased in vitro expression of both Env and Gag, and superior immunogenicity in rabbits. MVAGD5 induced high levels of binding antibodies to Env and Tier 1A and 1B neutralizing antibodies, neither of which were induced by SAAVI MVA-C.
