Baculovirus overcomes shortcomings of DNA vaccines

Professor Young Bong Kim's team demonstrates efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccine in a preclinical study

Uses platform technology proven in HPV and MERS vaccine studies

Has superior safety over adenovirus…”will verify safety through further clinical trials”

김영봉 교수

The development of a COVID-19 ‘DNA and viral vector-based vaccine’ made with 100% domestic technology is well underway.

 

Although in its preclinical stage, the vaccine, once commercialized, is expected to show superior safety and protection over existing COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca as well as vaccines from Russia and China.

 

Professor Young Bong Kim of Biomedical Science & Engineering at Konkuk University and his team have recently announced positive results from the preclinical study of their Covid-19 vaccine in development.

 

The study used hamsters to assess the immunogenicity, antibody production, seroconversion rates, and increments in geometric mean concentrations or titers of their Covid-19 vaccine.

 

The key to the COVID-19 vaccine platform being developed by Kim, the world-renown leader in the field of viruses, is the baculovirus.

 

Baculovirus is an insect-derived vector that is considered safe as it is generally non-toxic and non-replicative in human cells.

 

Also, baculoviral-based vaccines have fewer side effects than adenoviral vector-based vaccines.

 

Kim's team constructed a recombinant baculovirus expressing the envelope glycoprotein of human endogenous retrovirus to enhance effective gene delivery into human host cells.

 

In other words, the AstraZeneca vaccine generates an immune response from our body by delivering an adenovirus containing the COVID-19 spike protein to our cells whereas the vaccine developed by Kim’s team inserts the COVID-19 spike protein or its part into a baculovirus that virtually has zero side effects to produce antibodies.

 

This 'baculovirus platform technology' has been patented in Korea in 2010 as well as various other countries including the U.S, the U.K, France, Germany, China, and Japan, and is expected to have high growth potential over the next decade.

 

In particular, the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine for cervical cancer requires 2 or more doses for a strong cell-mediated immunity (CMI).

 

The advantage of the platform technology is that neutralizing antibodies to the baculovirus are not generated while baculovirus produces therapeutic antibodies for cervical cancer, enabling patients to receive repeated doses of the vaccine consecutively.

 

In addition to HPV, the efficacy and safety of vaccines using the baculovirus platform has been proven in preclinical trials conducted for MERS and Zika virus.

 

Especially, the ability to actively respond to the rising number of COVID-19 variants is regarded as its greatest strength.

 

“Hamsters vaccinated with two doses of the baculovirus COVID-19 vaccine a week apart showed 99.99% protection against COVID-19 infection, while the control group still showed viral infection," said Kim.

 

He added, “As we are still in our preclinical stages, a large-scale clinical trial will be needed to verify our results.

 

We also need to be prepared for multiple simultaneous outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as MERS and SARS.

 

With various mutations of COVID-19 emerging, we urgently need to secure sovereignty over a more safe and effective vaccine." Meanwhile, the results of the preclinical trial on the MERS-CoV vaccine using the baculovirus platform technology were published on ‘npj Vaccines,’ a sister journal of Nature, and recognized for its academic value.