China's new vaccine may boost rabies fight

A novel rabies vaccine for humans shows promise in preclinical testing, according to a new study published in the journal EBioMedicine.

This live, attenuated vaccine candidate was developed and tested by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan-based Huazhong Agricultural University in Hubei Province.

The research team constructed a novel chimeric virus VEEV-RABV-G, through replacing the entire structural proteins of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus with the rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV-G), as the single structural protein.

According to the scientists, the VEEV has been widely used as a vaccine vector, or a carrier, for many infectious diseases. Different from previous constructs, VEEV-RABV-G in this study can self-propagate to high titers — a measure of antibodies — in cell culture, without help from any other structural proteins.

The potential vaccine was proved safe and effective in mice. It could prompt an immune response at a relatively low dose.