psoralen-inactivated Shigella sonnei vaccine

The psoralen-inactivated Shigella sonnei vaccine (also referred to as PSIV Shigella sonnei vaccine) is a whole-cell bacterial vaccine candidate developed by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Naval Medical Research Command. Unlike traditional formalin-inactivated vaccines, which can alter or destroy key protein antigenic epitopes, this vaccine is inactivated using psoralen combined with ultraviolet A (UVA) light. This photochemical inactivation method targets nucleic acids to render the bacteria replication-incompetent while preserving the structural integrity of surface protein epitopes and metabolic activity (killed but metabolically active, or KBMA). In preclinical mouse models, the psoralen-inactivated vaccine, particularly when adjuvanted with double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT), demonstrated superior immunogenicity and elicited significantly higher antibody titers compared to formalin-inactivated counterparts, making it a promising candidate for the prevention of shigellosis caused by Shigella sonnei.

Other names

PSIV Shigella sonnei vaccinepsoralen plus ultraviolet A-inactivated Shigella sonnei vaccinewhole cell psoralen inactivated Shigella sonnei vaccinewhole cell psoralen inactivated Shigella vaccine