mRNA vaccines can be designed and produced quickly, which has renewed interest in a herpes vaccine after decades of failed attempts. In this study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, researchers in South Korea built a vaccine that carries instructions for four HSV‑2 surface proteins at once: glycoproteins B, C, D and E.
Why four proteins?
Earlier vaccines built mainly around a single protein, glycoprotein D, did not prevent genital herpes in people. Glycoproteins B and D are needed for the virus to enter cells, while C and E help it dodge the immune system. Targeting all four aims for a broader, stronger immune response.
What they found in mice
- Vaccinated mice made high levels of neutralizing antibodies and strong T-cell responses, which lasted at least 16 weeks.
- After a vaginal HSV‑2 challenge, the vaccine protected against genital disease and reduced the establishment of latent infection.
- Mixing four separately made mRNA particles worked as well as packing all four mRNAs into one particle, which could make manufacturing more flexible.
What to keep in mind
This is a preventive vaccine tested only in mice. Herpes vaccines have often protected animals but failed in people, so human trials will be the real test. A related approach, BioNTech’s three-protein mRNA vaccine BNT163, is already in an early human trial.