A lipid nanoparticle mRNA vaccine expressing the Ebola virus glycoprotein elicits strong immunological response and provides protection against challenge

Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) is the causative agent behind ebola virus disease (EVD), a disease characterized by hemorrhagic fever and a high case fatality rate.Current countermeasures for EVD are limited to monoclonal antibody therapies, and a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-vectored vaccine.Although the available therapies and vaccine have shown promise during recent ZEBOV outbreaks, long term protection and cross-protection against other viral species associated with EVD remain unknown.The rVSV-ZEBOV glycoprotein (gp) vaccine is currently considered the gold-standard and is recommended for pre-exposure prophylactic use in the US among high-risk populations, including military and health-care workers deployed in EVD response areas.Here, we developed a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) mRNA vaccine expressing the EBOVgp antigen and compared immunological responses from a prime-boost regimen of a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) mRNA vaccine formulation versus a rVSV-EBOVgp platform vaccine in wild type and immunocompromised mouse models.