Infectious disease

Rat studies suggest vaccination during pregnancy with a vaccine based on RSV F and G proteins could help prevent RSV infection in offspring. The vaccine consists of Newcastle disease virus-like particles engineered to display the RSV G protein ectodomain and RSV F protein harboring mutations that stabilize the protein’s prefusion conformation. In pregnant rat dams, intramuscular immunization with the vaccine followed by RSV challenge in their offspring decreased viral titers and levels of inflammatory cytokines in the lungs and histological peribronchiolitis scores, and increased levels of neutralizing antibodies against RSV in the serum of the pups compared with no vaccination of the dams. Next steps by Sigmovir Biosystems Inc. include planning a clinical trial of the vaccine in pregnant women.

AstraZeneca plc and AbbVie Inc. market Synagis palivizumab, a humanized mAb against RSV F protein, to treat RSV infection...