• Fusing two viral antigens into a single mRNA sequence significantly enhances the immune response compared to the encoding of these antigens through two separate mRNAs.
• The amalgamation of these antigens into a fusion protein notably amplifies the immune response, especially for antigens that may otherwise induce a weak immune reaction.
• A single vaccine dose effectively triggers a robust immune response capable of safeguarding animals against vaccinia virus infection at day 7 post-vaccination.

Vancouver BC Canada & Shanghai China September 22, 2023 – Virogin Team announced its publication in the Journal Nature Communication 2023, 14: 5925 entitled “mRNA vaccines encoding fusion proteins of monkeypox virus antigens protect mice from vaccinia virus challenge”. This work focuses on the development of a novel Monkeypox mRNA vaccine and is published in Nature Communications, a prestigious peer-reviewed journal widely recognized by the scientific community. The study was first published in BioRxiv in November 2022 and it was the first report in the world to demonstrate an efficacious mRNA-based vaccine against Monkeypox.

The innovative vaccine boasts a unique design that co-expresses two crucial monkeypox antigens as a single fusion protein. Their research has demonstrated that this fusion protein outperforms the traditional approach of using two separate mRNA strands (VGPox3 shown in the figure) to express these antigens.

Compared to the traditional design, the fusion protein triggers a significantly earlier and more robust anti-monkeypox immune response. Remarkably, this enhanced immune response affords protection to mice against viral infection within a mere 7 days following a single vaccination.

Interestingly, the fusion A35R/M1R mRNA vaccines induced higher IgGs against the two viral antigens than the alive human poxvirus vaccine (VACV) that has been current approved for monkeypox.

“Our findings again emphasize the pivotal importance of antigen design in mRNA-based vaccine development for pathogens with multiple potential antigens and the capabilities of Virogin Biotech in the area of mRNA vaccines.” commented by Dr. William Jia, the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Virogin Biotech.

The success in developing the novel mRNA vaccine against monkeypox showcased Virogin’s capability of prompt response to an emerging pathogen and how its in-depth understanding in immunology benefits the development of vaccines against more complex pathogens. The publication further solidifies Virogin’s contribution to the scientific community and potential impact on global health.