Development of a Multi-Epitope Universal mRNA Vaccine Candidate for Monkeypox, Smallpox, and Vaccinia Viruses: Design and In Silico Analyses.

ABSTRACT: Notwithstanding the presence of a smallpox vaccine that is effective against monkeypox (mpox), developing a universal vaccine candidate against monkeypox virus (MPXV) is highly required as the mpox multi-country outbreak has increased global concern. MPXV, along with variola virus (VARV) and vaccinia virus (VACV), belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus. Due to the genetic similarity of antigens in this study, we have designed a potentially universal mRNA vaccine based on conserved epitopes that are specific to these three viruses. In order to design a potentially universal mRNA vaccine, antigens A29, A30, A35, B6, and M1 were selected. The conserved sequences among the three viral species-MPXV, VACV, and VARV-were detected, and B and T cell epitopes containing the conserved elements were used

SUBMITTER: Rcheulishvili N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10222975 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature