An mRNA vaccine targeting Helicobacter pylori outer membrane protein OipA provides long-term protection in BALB/c mice

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with a spectrum of gastric diseases, ranging from chronic atrophic gastritis to gastric ulcers, and potentially gastric cancer. The outer membrane protein of H. pylori plays a significant role in its pathogenicity. With the global incidence of H. pylori infection on the rise, there is an urgent need for novel prevention strategies. Using mass spectrometry and utilization of different bioinformatics servers, we analyzed the outer membrane protein OipA and identified its functional fragments for recombination. Based on this fragment (Trunc OipA), we have developed an LNP-formulated mRNA vaccine targeting OipA. In BALB/c mice, this vaccine elicited a strong anti-OipA-specific antibody response, and induced mainly CD8+T-cell responses, leading to a mixed Th-1 and Th-2 cellular immune responses. The vaccine also offered long-term protection against H. pylori challenges and demonstrated a favorable safety profile. Our study suggests that the OipA mRNA vaccine is immunogenic, safe, and provides at least three months of protective immunity.