2013년 하반기 화생방방어학회, 2013, 02, 67─67

Development of Recombinant Vaccinia virus Co-expressing Protective antigen of Anthrax

Ga-Young Lee, Jeong-Hoon Chun, Ho-Sun Son, Sang-Won Lee, Ge-Eun Rhie.

Abstract

Bioterrorism poses a daunting challenge to global security and public health in the 21st century. Because of the purported past use of Variola major and Bacillus anthrax in biowarfare and the reported possible existence of military programs for weaponization of these agents by some nations and rogue regimes, smallpox and anthrax represent the most deadly bioterror entities that are a threat to our national security and public health. The Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) stocks up on the vaccine against smallpox and is also developing the anthrax vaccine which is testing phase II clinical trial. The current Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH) already had developed the attenuated vaccinia virus. This attenuated vaccinia virus, as a live vaccine, proliferates inside cells and expresses antigen continuously. It could lead not only humoral immunity, but also cell mediated immunity effectively. The attenuated vaccine virus developed in KNIH could provide the effective delivery systems of new antigens. Here, protective antigen (PA) of anthrax toxin were inserted in three kinds of attenuated vaccinia virus and characterized the expression of the protein in Vero cell lines. Three kinds of vaccinia delivery system were used in this study and each virus produced secretory PA antigen which was designed with the signal peptide of tissue plasminogen activator. One of the candidates for vaccine, C7L-thaPA was injected to Balb/C mice using 3 injection routes. When we measured the anti-PA ELISA antibody titer in the serum samples from blood collected 28 d post vaccination in Balb/C mice, the mean PA-binding antibody titer for subcutaneous injection group was increased to 3,200. Each bivalent vaccine makes the possibility simplifying the logistics of storage, stockpiling, and field delivery in the event of a bioterrorattack involving smallpox or anthrax.

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제(과제번호 2013-NG45004-00) 연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund(code 2013-NG45004-00) by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.