Oral immunization with virus-like particles elicits Ebola virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

BACKGROUND: Ebola virus (EBOV) poses a significant public health threat due to its high case fatality rates and proved human-to-human transmission. While licensed vaccines exist for EBOV, their intramuscular administration presents some logistical challenges in outbreak settings. Oral vaccines offer advantages in accessibility, compliance, and scalability but have not been explored for EBOV. METHODS: T cells. RESULTS: T cells in vaccinated mice. Notably, immune responses in orally vaccinated animals were slightly improved compared to those elicited by intramuscular administration. CONCLUSION: This study provides a proof-of-concept that an oral VLP-based EBOV vaccine candidate can induce antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. However, additional studies are required to determine protective efficacy, durability of immunity, safety, optimal dosing regimens, and translatability across relevant animal models before clinical development can be considered.