respiratory syncytial virus virus-like particles

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virus-like particles (VLPs) are an investigational vaccine platform designed to prevent RSV infection and associated lower respiratory tract disease. VLPs are nanoscale structures that mimic the conformation and repetitive antigen display of the native virus but lack the viral genome, rendering them non-infectious and replication-incompetent. Typically, these VLPs display key RSV surface antigens, such as the fusion (F) glycoprotein (often stabilized in its highly immunogenic prefusion conformation, preF) and/or the attachment (G) glycoprotein, assembled on a structural core (such as the RSV matrix M1 or other viral matrix proteins). By presenting these antigens in a dense, repetitive array, RSV VLPs stimulate robust humoral and cellular immune responses, including the production of neutralizing antibodies, without the risk of vaccine-enhanced respiratory disease historically associated with formalin-inactivated RSV vaccines. Various academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies (such as Icosavax/AstraZeneca with IVX-121) have developed specific RSV VLP candidates.

Other names

respiratory syncytial virus virus-like particle vaccineRSV VLPRSV VLP vaccineRSV virus-like particle vaccineRSV virus-like particles