A single-cycle, recombinant VSV platform Nipah vaccine cross-protects against Hendra virus in nonhuman primates

The HeV (G) antigen was shown to cross-protect against both HeV and NiV when delivered in a protein subunit form; however, attempts to utilize mRNA or canarypox vectors failed to achieve equivalent protection. We previously developed and evaluated two experimental vaccines to NiV and HeV using a single-cycle, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus platform (G*rVSV∆G) displaying either the (G) glycoprotein of HeV (G*rVSV∆G-HeV-G) or NiV (G*rVSV∆G-NiVB-G).

The G*rVSV∆G-NiVB-G vaccine demonstrated ideal characteristics of rapid and durable protection in nonhuman primates, and the HeV-G vaccine was capable of cross protecting against both NiV and HeV in a lethal rodent model. In the present work, we show that the G*rVSV∆G-NiVB-G vaccine cross-protects against lethal HeV challenge, with the protective response driven by a balance of both cell-mediated and humoral compartments.