Vaccinia viruses re-engineered to express foreign genes are robust
vectors for production of recombinant proteins, the most common
being a vaccine delivery system for antigens. Concerns about the
safety of the vaccinia virus have been addressed by the development
of vectors based on attenuated vaccinia viruses. One of them, the
Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus, is widely considered as the
vaccinia virus strain of choice for clinical investigation because
of its high safety profile.
Compared to replicating vaccinia viruses, MVA provides similar or
higher levels of recombinant gene expression even in non-permissive
cells. In animal models, recombinant MVA vaccines have been found
immunogenic and to protect against various infectious agents
including influenza, parainfluenza, measles virus, flaviviruses,
and plasmodium parasites.
|
