New vaccine generates strong immune response against hepatitis C

Notes to editors:

• The hepatitis C vaccine developed by the Oxford University team uses a prime-boost strategy with two separate vaccine formulations.
  The first ‘prime’ vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus called ChAd3, developed by the Italian biotech company Okairos, to which genes encoding four proteins from hepatitis C genotype 1 are added.
  The second ‘boost’ vaccine adds the same four hepatitis C genes to a different viral vaccine base – a modified vaccininia Ankara (MVA) virus.
  Neither the adenovirus nor MVA is able to replicate, so they cannot cause an infection. The four genes packaged up inside can’t cause a hepatitis C infection either.
• Adenoviruses affecting humans are common, causing minor ailments like coughs and colds. But people won’t have been exposed to a chimpanzee adenovirus, so won’t have developed antibody responses that could minimise the effect of the vaccine.
• A previous phase 1 study in 2012 by the Oxford University team showed that the hepatitis C vaccine using a different prime-boost strategy was able to stimulate a T cell immune response. http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2012-01-05-first-trial-new-hepatitis-c-vaccine-shows-promise
  The new study was able to achieve much higher T cell responses, paving the way for the first efficacy trial to begin in the USA.
  The previous regimen used two different adenovirus-based vaccines in a prime boost strategy. The new chimpanzee adenovirus and MVA combination looks much more potent, says Professor Barnes.
• This study is one of the first to use ‘CyTOF’ technology (a combination of flow cytometry and mass spectrometry) that can look at tens or even hundreds of proteins expressed by T cells, and so infer their function and type.
• The paper ‘A human vaccine strategy based on chimpanzee adenoviral and MVA vectors that primes, boosts, and sustains functional HCV-specific T cell memory’ by Leo Swadling and colleagues is to be published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
• The study was funded by Medical Research Council in the UK and the European Union, the Oxford Martin School and the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
• The Medical Research Council has been at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Twenty-nine MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. www.mrc.ac.uk
• The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government’s strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. For further information, visit the NIHR website (www.nihr.ac.uk).
• Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe, with over 2,500 people involved in research and more than 2,800 students. The University is rated the best in the world for medicine, and it is home to the UK’s top-ranked medical school.
  From the genetic and molecular basis of disease to the latest advances in neuroscience, Oxford is at the forefront of medical research. It has one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and great expertise in taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic. Partnerships with the local NHS Trusts enable patients to benefit from close links between medical research and healthcare delivery.
  A great strength of Oxford medicine is its long-standing network of clinical research units in Asia and Africa, enabling world-leading research on the most pressing global health challenges such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and flu. Oxford is also renowned for its large-scale studies which examine the role of factors such as smoking, alcohol and diet on cancer, heart disease and other conditions.