The global spread of mpox underscores the urgent need for a safe, effective vaccine. The existing smallpox vaccines offer suboptimal protection against the mpox virus (MPXV), particularly for immunocompromised hosts who may also be infected with HIV. Research has revealed that successful vaccines must target antigens present in both infectious forms of poxviruses.

In a new Nature Communications article, Ye et al. report on the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a penta-component mRNA vaccine (AR-MPXV5) targeting five key clade II MPXV proteins: M1R, E8L, A29L, A35R, and B6R (1). Using nonhuman primate models, the authors demonstrate that two doses of AR-MPXV5 evoked both humoral and cellular responses and conferred protection against infection. In addition, the cytokine storm associated with MPXV infection was attenuated in the vaccinated animals. Importantly, AR-MPXV5 was found to be well-tolerated in immunodeficient (SIV-infected) animals and successfully elicited an immune response. Thus, Ye et al. have generated a highly promising MPXV vaccine that merits more extensive testing and validation.

GeneTex is committed to supporting mpox research with a catalog of recombinant monoclonal antibodies targeting five MPXV proteins, which includes the Mpox virus A29L antibody [HL2527] (GTX638888) used by Ye et al. to clearly show the presence of replicating virus in infected animal tissue. Additional antibodies against other crucial MPXV components are in development. Please see the featured products below and check out the GeneTex website for more information.