NIGERIAN VACCINOLOGIST DEVELOPS IMMUNOGENIC EXPERIMENTAL EBOLA VACCINE CANDITATE

World-renowned
vaccinologist Dr Simon Agwale, from Nigeria, Friday in Paris, France, presented
his progress report on Ebola vaccine. Dr Agwale is among over 300 delegates
drawn from forty-two countries to mark the International Conference on
Targeting Ebola organised by the Pasteur Institute held from 28 – 29 May 2015.

A statement
by Dr Yuri Nakamoto, on behalf of the Scientific Committee of the conference,
said the agenda included 140 oral, short and posters communications, latest
developments in the Ebola outbreak in Africa, latest clinical developments,
innovations, vaccines and drugs to combat Ebola, and prevention of Ebola
contamination and transmission, to be published by the committee.

Dr Agwale
alongside Epie E, and Pushko P, of Innovative Biotech Ltd, Keffi, Nasarawa
State, Nigeria; and Innovative Biotech USA Inc, Havre de Grace MD USA, in their
presentation entitled, “Construction and Evaluation of a Highly Immunogenic
EBOLA Influenza VLP Vaccine Candidate”, prepared and evaluated EBOV VLPs that
included GP of EBOV Zaire strain in which VLPs were expressed using recombinant
baculovirus in Sf9 cells.

An excerpt
from the abstract reads that, “Expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and western
blot using antigen-specific sera. VLPs were confirmed by electron microscopy.
Purified EBOV VLPs were diluted with PBS or our proprietary adjuvant to a final
protein concentration of 1 mg/ml. 6 BALB/c mice per group were inoculated
subcutaneously with 25 or 50 mg of VLPs in PBS or adjuvant on days 0 and 28. A
negative control group of BALB/c mice received PBS in place of VLPs. Serum
samples were taken before primary and booster inoculations (days 0 and 28), as
well as on day 57. Serum antibodies were determined by ELISA and western
blotting using recombinant EBOV GP antigen. Electron microscopy revealed the
presence of VLPs. Furthermore, the VLP was very immunogenic as measured by
ELISA, and the primary immune responses were boosted after the second
immunization. In addition, the immunogenicity was confirmed by western blot.
Antibody titer was higher in groups of animals that received our proprietary
adjuvant than animals that received PBS. This was also confirmed by western
blot.”

They
submitted that, “We have developed and evaluated an EBOV candidate vaccine that
is highly immunogenic in mice. Given the immediate need for an Ebola vaccine
and the efficiency, safety and adaptability of our VLP platform technology we
are confident in producing a high yield, high quality product using the most
cost effective methodologies available. Recombinant VLPs have inherent
advantages in safety, which is especially important for patients with immune
system disorders including AIDS. This vaccine approach can therefore be used
for mass vaccination in Africa to prevent EBOV infections and future epidemics
of this deadly disease.”

Dr Agwale
said they were also using their platform technology to develop vaccines against
HIV, malaria and other diseases that plaque Africa.