Genetically Thermostabilized, Immunogenic Poliovirus Empty Capsids — A New Vaccine Technology

Wild poliovirus has almost been eradicated worldwide under the WHO's eradication program, which employs mainly the oral Sabin vaccine, composed of an attenuated live poliovirus strain. However, in regions where poliomyelitis has already been eliminated, current guidelines recommend the inactivated Salk vaccine because of concerns about instability of the attenuated Sabin vaccine strain, which can easily revert back to wild type and reintroduce vaccine-derived human pathogenic polioviruses into the population. On the other hand, production of inactivated polio vaccines involves handling of large amounts of pathogenic virus. Both scenarios are undesirable for the global polio eradication program.

British researchers, supported by the WHO Polio…