Current progress on development of respiratory syncytial virus vaccine

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a major cause of upper and lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children worldwide. Despite its importance as a respiratory pathogen, there is currently no licensed vaccine for prophylaxis of HRSV infection. There are several hurdles complicating the development of a RSV vaccine: 1) incomplete immunity to natural RSV infection leading to frequent re-infection, 2) immature immune system and maternal antibodies of newborn infants who are the primary subject population, and 3) imbalanced Th2-biased immune responses to certain vaccine candidates leading to exacerbated pulmonary disease. After the failure of an initial trial featuring formalin-inactivated virus as a RSV vaccine, more careful and deliberate efforts have been made towards the development of safe and effective RSV vaccines without vaccine-enhanced disease. A wide array of RSV vaccine strategies is being developed, including live-attenuated viruses, protein subunit-based, and vector-based candidates. Though licensed vaccines remain to be developed, our great efforts will lead us to reach the goal of attaining safe and effective RSV vaccines in the near future. [BMB reports 2011; 44(4): 232-237]