Host range restricted, non-replicating vaccinia virus vectors as vaccine candidates

TLDR: The potential usefulness of recombinant MVA for prophylactic vaccination and therapeutic treatment of infectious diseases and cancer is suggested and previous data on the safety of MVA in humans is suggested.

Abstract: The use of a recombinant virus containing a heterologous gene of another microorganism as a live vaccine was suggested more than 10 years ago (Mackett et al, 1982; Panicali and Paoletti, 1982). Vaccinia virus was considered for such a purpose because of its success as a smallpox vaccine and ease and economy of production, distribution and administration (Fermer et al., 1988). The extensive experimental use of recombinant vaccinia viruses was facilitated by the construction of plasmid transfer vectors containing a vaccinia virus promoter, one or more convenient restriction endonuclease sites for inserting a foreign gene, flanking DNA sequences for homologous recombination into a non-essential site of the vaccinia virus genome and for selection and/or screening of recombinant viruses (Chakrabarti et al., 1985; Mackett et al., 1984). Humoral and cell mediated immune responses to an expressed foreign protein and protection of experimental animals against challenge with the corresponding pathogen were demonstated in a variety of animal model systems (Cox et al., 1992; Moss, 1991).