npj Vaccines (Mar 2023)

A Shigella flexneri 2a synthetic glycan-based vaccine induces a long-lasting immune response in adults

  • Shiri Meron-Sudai,
  • Valeria Asato,
  • Amos Adler,
  • Anya Bialik,
  • Sophy Goren,
  • Ortal Ariel-Cohen,
  • Arava Reizis,
  • Laurence A. Mulard,
  • Armelle Phalipon,
  • Dani Cohen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-023-00624-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Shigella is a leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhea worldwide and of diarrhea-associated deaths in children under 5 years of age in low-and middle-income countries. A vaccine against shigellosis is in high demand. SF2a-TT15, a synthetic carbohydrate-based conjugate vaccine candidate against Shigella flexneri 2a (SF2a) was found safe and strongly immunogenic in adult volunteers. Here, SF2a-TT15 at 10 µg oligosaccharide (OS) vaccine dose is shown to induce a sustained immune response in magnitude and functionality in the majority of volunteers followed up 2 and 3 years post-vaccination. High levels of either one of the humoral parameters as well as the number of specific-IgG memory B-cells determined 3 months after vaccination were good predictors of the durability of the immune response. This study is the first to examine the long-term durability of antibody functionality and memory B-cell response induced by a Shigella vaccine candidate.