Broadly effective vaccine design offers new hope in the fight against hepatitis C

The development of an effective vaccine against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has posed a significant challenge for decades due to the high genetic diversity of the virus. A research team has now achieved promising results. Using epitope-focused immunogens, they were able to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) in laboratory models for the first time.

Their study was published in the journal Science Advances. The researchers were led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Krey from the Institute of Biochemistry and the Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine at the University of Lübeck, in collaboration with international partners

Globally, approximately 58 million people are chronically infected with HCV, resulting in 290,000 annual deaths due to complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Although modern antiviral treatments achieve high cure rates, the global elimination of HCV remains a difficult goal due to inadequate early detection and limited treatment options.

Indeed, HCV has been identified as one of the globally prioritized endemic pathogens for vaccine research and development in the World Health Organization’s “Immunization Agenda 2030.” It is among the pathogens for which there is an urgent need for vaccines, as they cause a significant disease burden. An effective vaccine could fill this gap and limit the spread of the virus.

“Our research lays the foundation for a new generation of vaccines. We focus on overcoming the challenges posed by the viral diversity and immunological evasion of HCV,” explains Prof. Krey.

The team employed novel computational protein designs to mimic specific regions of the viral glycoproteins E1 and E2, known as neutralization epitopes. These were transferred onto synthetic protein carriers and integrated into nanoparticles to elicit the most effective immune response possible.

The study demonstrated that these epitope-focused immunogens in mouse models with a human antibody repertoire triggered a robust immune response. The produced antibodies were capable of successfully neutralizing multiple genetically diverse HCV strains.

Potential for vaccine development

The results of this study provide a promising approach to overcoming previous failures in developing an effective HCV vaccine. “This proof-of-concept approach not only brings us closer to an effective HCV vaccine but could also set new standards in vaccine development against this and other medically significant viruses,” says Dr. Kumar Nagarathinam, lead author of the study.

The study represents a significant milestone in vaccine research and could contribute to limiting the global spread of hepatitis C in the long term. Future research aims to further enhance the efficacy of the immunogens. Additionally, the insights gained could be applied to other viruses that pose similar challenges for vaccine development.