Hepatitis C virus DNA vaccines: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• * Immunology
• * Vaccinology
• * Molecular Biology

Background:

• * Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a significant global health burden, with no currently available prophylactic vaccine.
• * DNA-based immunization offers a promising strategy for eliciting robust cellular and humoral immune responses against HCV.
• * Developing an effective HCV vaccine remains a critical unmet medical need.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To systematically review the current landscape of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) DNA vaccines.
• * To identify and analyze strategies aimed at optimizing the efficacy of HCV DNA vaccines.
• * To assess the potential of identified candidates for prophylactic and therapeutic applications.

Main Methods:

• * Comprehensive literature search of major scientific databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect) and Persian language databases.
• * Inclusion of studies published between 2000 and 2020 focusing on Hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleic acid vaccine development.
• * Systematic review and analysis of identified research articles.

Main Results:

• * Twenty-seven articles were included in the review; no studies on HCV RNA vaccines were found.
• * Identified optimization strategies include multi-antigenic constructs (multiple viral proteins, molecular tags like HBsAg/Fc), multi-epitope expression, and co-expression plasmids.
• * Other promising strategies involve recombinant subunit immunogens, heterologous prime-boosting, NS3 mutants, adjuvants, Gene Electro Transfer, multi-CTL epitopes, and polycistronic genes.

Conclusions:

• * This systematic review highlights significant advancements in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) DNA vaccine development.
• * Various strategies demonstrate potential for enhancing immune responses and vaccine potency.
• * Further research into these optimized DNA vaccine candidates is warranted for both prophylactic and therapeutic potential.