法国科学家在美国最新一期《科学—转化医学》杂志上报告说，他们开发出一种能预防丙型肝炎的疫苗，动物实验显示这种疫苗有效。
目前世界上通用的丙肝疫苗都属于治疗性疫苗，还没有疫苗能起到预防丙肝的作用。与甲肝和乙肝不同，大多数人无法依靠自身的免疫系统清除丙肝病毒，这是因为丙肝病毒在受到人体免疫系统攻击后，会转为更强大的变种。
法国巴黎第六大学的科学家利用类病毒颗粒开发出一种丙肝疫苗。类病毒颗粒和病毒相似，但不含有病毒的遗传物质，从而不具有传染性。这种疫苗被注入体内后，类病毒颗粒会激发出一种免疫反应，帮助身体产生对抗丙肝病毒的中和抗体，该抗体能中和各种丙肝病毒变异株的感染性，从而起到预防作用。
针对实验鼠和猴子的实验结果显示，这种疫苗对5种丙肝病毒变异株都有效，这意味着这种疫苗在对付丙肝病毒的其他变种时也应该有效。科学家表示，他们将于明年开展人体试验，以进一步检测疫苗在人体中是否也同样有效。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3002330
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A Prime-Boost Strategy Using Virus-Like Particles Pseudotyped for HCV Proteins Triggers Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies in Macaques
Garrone, Pierre; Fluckiger, Anne-Catherine; Mangeot, Philippe E.; Gauthier, Emmanuel; Dupeyrot-Lacas, Pia; Mancip, Jimmy; Cangialosi, Arnaud; Du Chéné, Isaure; LeGrand, Roger; Mangeot, Isabelle; Lavillette, Dimitri; Bellier, Bertrand; Cosset, Fran?ois-Loic; Tangy, Frederic; Klatzmann, David; Dalba, Charlotte
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with its cohort of life-threatening complications, affects more than 200 millionpersons worldwide and has a prevalence of more than 10% in certain countries. Preventive and therapeutic vaccines againstHCV are thus much needed. Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are the foundation for successful disease prevention for most establishedvaccines. However, for viruses that cause chronic infection such as HIV or HCV, induction of broad NAbs from recombinant vaccineshas remained elusive. We developed a vaccine platform specifically aimed at inducing NAbs based on pseudotyped virus-likeparticles (VLPs) made with retroviral Gag. We report that VLPs pseudotyped with E2 and/or E1 HCV envelope glycoproteins inducedhigh-titer anti-E2 and/or anti-E1 antibodies, as well as NAbs, in both mouse and macaque. The NAbs, which were raised againstHCV 1a, cross-neutralized the five other genotypes tested (1b, 2a, 2b, 4, and 5). Thus, the described VLP platform, whichcan be pseudotyped with a vast array of virus envelope glycoproteins, represents a new approach to viral vaccine development.
