A recombinant, chimeric tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate based on a dengue virus serotype 2 backbone

Dengue fever is caused by infection with one of four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes (DENV-1-4), necessitating tetravalent dengue vaccines that can induce protection against all four DENV. Takeda's live attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate (TDV) comprises an attenuated DENV-2 strain plus chimeric viruses containing the prM and E genes of DENV-1, -3 and -4 cloned into the attenuated DENV-2 'backbone'. In Phase 1 and 2 studies, TDV was well tolerated by children and adults aged 1.5-45 years, irrespective of prior dengue exposure; mild injection-site symptoms were the most common adverse events. TDV induced neutralizing antibody responses and seroconversion to all four DENV as well as cross-reactive T cell-mediated responses that may be necessary for broad protection against dengue fever.