| First Author | Stone ET | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 110388 |
| PubMed ID | 35172138 | Mgi Jnum | J:360361 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6879600 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110388 |
| Citation | Stone ET, et al. (2022) Balanced T and B cell responses are required for immune protection against Powassan virus in virus-like particle vaccination. Cell Rep 38(7):110388 |
| abstractText | Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne pathogen for which humans are an incidental host. POWV infection can be fatal or result in long-term neurological sequelae; however, there are no approved vaccinations for POWV. Integral to efficacious vaccine development is the identification of correlates of protection, which we accomplished in this study by utilizing a murine model of POWV infection. Using POWV lethal and sub-lethal challenge models, we show that (1) robust B and T cell responses are necessary for immune protection, (2) POWV lethality can be attributed to both viral- and host-mediated drivers of disease, and (3) knowledge of the immune correlates of protection against POWV can be applied in a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccination approach that provides protection from lethal POWV challenge. Identification of these immune protection factors is significant as it will aid in the rational design of POWV vaccines. |
