Synthetic DNA approach to cytomegalovirus vaccine/immune therapy

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Stephan J WuDavid B Weiner

Abstract

There is no licensed vaccine or cure for human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a ubiquitous β-herpes virus that infects 60-95 % of adults worldwide. Infection is a major cause of congenital abnormalities in newborns, contributes to development of childhood cerebral palsy and medulloblastoma, can result in severe disease in immunocompromised patients, and is a major impediment during successful organ transplantation. While CMV has been increasingly associated with numerous inflammatory diseases and cancers, only recently has it been correlated with increased risk of heart disease in adults, the number-one killer in the USA. These data, among others, suggest that subclinical CMV infection, or microinfection, in healthy individuals may play more of a causative role than an epiphenomenon in development of CMV-associated pathologies. Due to the myriad of diseases and complications associated with CMV, an efficacious vaccine would be highly valuable in reducing human morbidity and mortality as well as saving billions of dollars in annual health-care costs and disability adjusted life years (DALY) in the developing world. Therefore, the development of a safe efficacious CMV vaccine or immune therapy is paramount to the public health. This revi...Continue Reading

Citations

Oct 20, 2017·Clinical and Vaccine Immunology : CVI·Mark R SchleissStanley A Plotkin
Feb 23, 2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Shao-Cheng WangYuan-Chuan Chen
May 4, 2021·Frontiers in Microbiology·Wenwen XiaZhijun Liu

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