A subunit vaccine protects A129 mice from death and joint swelling against lethal Chikungunya virus challenge.

Authors

Jiangfan Li, Ting Fang, Liyuan Song, Li Qiang, Yating Hu, Chuanyi Zhao, Haoran Wang, Wenbin Zhao, Guangcheng Fu, Hongyu Yuan, Jianmin Li

Published in

Frontiers in immunology. Volume 17. Pages 1937609. Epub Oct 06, 2026.

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is primarily transmitted to humans through bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, causing febrile illness as well as acute or chronic arthritis. With increasing reports in previously non-endemic regions, it poses an emerging threat to public health and a growing risk to travelers. Despite the recent approval of live-attenuated and virus-like particle-based vaccines, a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective vaccine remains urgently needed. The envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, which play crucial roles in viral attachment and entry, are the major immunodominant structural proteins and can effectively elicit protective antibodies.
We engineered mammalian cells to produce the ectodomains of the E1 and E2 glycoproteins and evaluated the protective efficacy of the resulting vaccine formulations in vivo.
A two-dose vaccination regimen elicited high levels of antibodies and provided full protection against lethal challenge in A129 mice, preventing both death and joint swelling.
These findings demonstrate the potential of this vaccine candidate against CHIKV and warrant its further development.

PMID:
42903135
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Oct 2026.

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