A proof of concept for structure-based vaccine design targeting RSV in humans

Building a better RSV vaccine Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe respiratory disease, especially in infants and the elderly. However, attempts to produce effective human vaccines have largely been unsuccessful. Structure-based design has been used to generate an RSV fusion glycoprotein stabilized in its prefusion conformation (DS-Cav1). This immunogen is highly effective in mice and macaques. Crank et al. now report the results of a phase I vaccine clinical trial using the stabilized prefusion DS-Cav1 molecule. Four weeks after immunization, these vaccines elicited substantially more high-quality antibody titers than those typically generated using earlier RSV immunogens. The findings provide a proof of concept for how structural biology can contribute to precision vaccine design. Science , this issue p. 505