Vaccinia Virus News and Research

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The vaccinia virus is the "live virus" used in the smallpox vaccine. It is a "pox"-type virus related to smallpox. When given to humans as a vaccine, it helps the body to develop immunity to smallpox. The smallpox vaccine does not contain the smallpox virus and it cannot cause smallpox.

Research suggests booster doses may be necessary for monkeypox immunity

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) shows that even in men who receives two doses of mpox vaccine intradermally, their level of antibodies to the virus falls to low or zero within the first few months if they have not received a previous smallpox vaccine.

1 Apr 2024

Study reveals waning antibody response to monkeypox vaccine over time

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) shows that the antibodies produced by Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara - Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccination against mpox wane significantly within a year of receiving the vaccination – but in people with pre-existing immunity due to childhood smallpox vaccination in childhood, antibody levels remain high in almost all cases.

1 Apr 2024

Unraveling the architecture of poxvirus cores

A recent re-emergence and outbreak of Mpox brought poxviruses back as a public health threat, underlining an important knowledge gap at their core.

6 Feb 2024

Study sheds light on global laboratory-acquired infections and pathogen escapes

Study analyzes global incidents of laboratory-acquired infections and accidental pathogen escapes from 2000 to 2021, highlighting the need for improved biosafety protocols and reporting systems.

17 Dec 2023

Monkeypox mimics smallpox vaccine's immune response, new study reveals

The study in Nature Communications reveals that MPOX infection triggers an anti-viral antibody response akin to that from smallpox vaccination. Utilizing a comprehensive array of ELISAs, scientists found a high level of specificity and sensitivity in detecting antibodies against both MPOX and smallpox, offering a new, accurate way to measure immune responses.

26 Sep 2023

Game-changing point-of-care assay could revolutionize Mpox detection worldwide

Researchers developed a point-of-care assay for the rapid detection of mpox virus.

20 Sep 2023

Study assesses duration of protection offered by smallpox infection and possible cross-reaction with Mpox virus

More than 43 years ago, many Chinese residents were vaccinated with the vaccinia virus Tiantan strain (VTT) to protect them from smallpox infection.

19 Sep 2023

Human challenge trials: A game-changer in vaccine development? Examining their role in shaping the pandemic response

The history of using human challenge trials in developing vaccines.

15 Aug 2023

Oncolytic viruses could be used to 'warm up' cold tumors and improve immunotherapy

Equipping cancer-infecting, or oncolytic, viruses with tumor-inhibiting genetic cargo stimulates the immune system and helps immunotherapy to shrink or completely clear aggressive tumors in mice, according to a new study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine led by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers.

14 Aug 2023

Radiation combined with cancer-targeting virus therapy more effective in fighting brain tumors

Combining a cancer-targeting virus with radiation to treat brain cancer in mice was more effective than either therapy on its own according to University of Alberta research, providing hope for new treatments that combine immunotherapy with traditional surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.

20 Jun 2023

Research identifies Th1 memory CD4+ T cells as key to protect against emerging poxvirus skin infections

Researchers demonstrate that T helper 1 effector memory cluster of differentiation 4 T cells provide immunity against poxviruses

27 Apr 2023

Candidate hepatitis C mRNA vaccine induces protective immunity in animal model

In a recent study published in the npj vaccines journal, researchers assessed the immune protection elicited by messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines delivering Hepatitis C virus (HCV) E1 and modified E2.

23 Mar 2023

CDC recommendations and clinical considerations for the treatment of severe Mpox

In a recent article published in the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a team of researchers discussed the medical countermeasures and clinical considerations for treating severe manifestations of Mpox.

6 Mar 2023

Study finds a new mammalian antiviral response pathway restricting poxviruses replication

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers identified a novel antiviral pathway different from the interferon (IFN) pathway that inhibited poxvirus(es) replication.

15 Feb 2023

Researchers explore immune responses to mpox infections

In new research, researchers demonstrated that individuals recovering from mpox virus (MPXV) infection have neutralizing antibodies that target MPXV antigens A35R and H3L.

17 Jan 2023

Discovery of a potential new target for new MPOX or broad pox vaccines

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in the United Kingdom developed a pooled enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay using mpox (MPX) virus (MPXV) antigens and vaccinia virus (VACV) antigens. They also assessed humoral responses to and identification of antigens of MPXV IIa clade and IIb clade, in comparison to recipients of smallpox vaccines (ACAM2000 and IMVANEX).

12 Jan 2023

CNB-CSIC vaccine fully protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection of the brain

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers in Spain described the effectiveness of a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidate in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain using a mouse model.

12 Jan 2023

Novel mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine encoding four mpox virus surface proteins generates robust immune responses against orthopoxviruses

Researchers described a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-lipid nanoparticle monkeypox vaccine encoding four conserved monkeypox virus surface proteins which induced monkeypox virus-specific immunity and elicited heterologous protection when challenged with lethal vaccinia virus.

23 Dec 2022

Characterization of anti-orthopoxvirus antibody response in general population and gay men

Scientists have recently estimated and compared anti-mpox and anti-vaccinia antibodies in gay men and the general population.

22 Dec 2022

Study examines Mpox prevention with modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA)

A new Eurosurveillance study investigated the efficacy of the MVA-BN vaccine, which was administered to individuals after exposure to the virus.

18 Dec 2022