Ebola virus vaccination elicits Ebola virus–specific immune responses without substantial cross-reactivity to other filoviruses
The Janssen Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine consists of the adenovirus type 26 vector encoding the EBOV glycoprotein (GP) (Ad26.ZEBOV) and the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector encoding GP from EBOV, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus and nucleoprotein from Tai Forest virus (MVA-BN-Filo) administered 8 weeks later. We conducted a systems immunology analysis of antibody-mediated and cellular immune responses induced after two immunizations with either vaccine used first. The response to vaccination was EBOV GP specific and defined by high antibody binding, Fc effector, and neutralizing responses with CD4 T cell responses also contributing. The vaccine-induced antibody profile did not distinguish people living with or without HIV-1. Samples from 48 survivors and 121 contacts from the 2007 Ugandan Bundibugyo virus epidemic also showed minimal cross-reactivity to other filovirus proteins after infection and exposure. The lack of cross-reactivity suggests that different multivalent vaccine candidates are required to provide broad protection across filoviruses.
Authors
- Thembi Mdluli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3980-7736)
- Betty Mwesigwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0463-8998)
- Bethany L. Dearlove (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3653-4592)
- Mélanie Merbah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5641-8612)
- Aljawharah Alrubayyi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7538-9434)
- Cynthia Robinson
- Michael D. Barrera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2985-9632)
- Zhanna Shubin
- Gideon Akintunde (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7757-8474)
- Bradley Beckman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9077-2925)
- Dominic Paquin‐Proulx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1407-3414)
- Michael A. Eller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3905-4877)
- Ilesh Vinodrai Jani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6880-6655)
- Margaret C. Costanzo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5996-3924)
- Chelsea McLean (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3548-3482)
- Leigh Anne Eller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2043-1513)
- Steven A. Kwilas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0383-3879)
- Fred Sawe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0748-8032)
- Julie A. Ake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3831-5828)
- Suzanne E. Wollen-Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9409-2756)
- Kerstin Lühn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8451-1294)
- Michael Iroezindu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2460-109X)
- Nyanda Elias Ntinginya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1575-4521)
- Morgane Rolland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3650-8490)
- Kristopher Paolino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5779-9704)
- Hannah Kibuuka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2293-1944)
- Jacob Boeckelman
- Shayla Duncan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3410-8510)
- Merlin L. Robb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3949-9649)
- Jay W. Hooper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4475-0415)
- Josphat Kosgei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0106-524X)
- Hongjun Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3501-3974)
- Joel Mwakisisile
- Yifan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7038-2671)
- Dohoon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5794-6222)
- Daniel Curtis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9396-0427)
- Edna Viegas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4691-9920)
- Lucy Ward
- Janet Nyawira Oyieko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7343-9127)
- Pallavi Thapa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1000-1824)
Institutions
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation (US)
- United States Department of Defense (US)
- SUNY Upstate Medical University (US)
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project (UG)
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (US)
- United States Army Medical Research Directorate - Africa (KE)
- African Field Epidemiology Network (NG)
- Jackson Foundation (US)
- National Directorate of Geology (MZ)
- Janssen (Netherlands) (NL)
- National Institute for Medical Research (TZ)
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Translational Medicine
- Published
- 2025-04-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adq2496
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.58