Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a highly infectious disease which is particularly dangerous for infant and elderly patients. It is one of the major infectious diseases without an approved vaccine, so the effort to develop vaccines has been underway.

To combat this ongoing and widespread disease, companies have been developing vaccines targeting the prefusion F glycoprotein. Prefusion F proteins are RSV surface proteins required for viral fusion into host cells. This is the most promising target for vaccine research. 

GlaxoSmithKline has found preliminary success in its RSVPreF3 OA investigational vaccine in patients over 60 years of age. Their Phase 3, placebo-controlled study is ongoing in nearly 25 thousand participants around the world, including those participants at the Westside Center for Clinical Research, part of ENCORE Research Group.

Recently published results show a significant protective effect of the vaccine, lowering infections by 82% and severe infections by over 94%, all with a favorable safety profile. This will help lower the incidence and hospitalization of RSV in patients and underscores the importance of clinical research and the work of ENCORE Research Group, its sponsors, physicians, staff, and participants in the clinical research process.

 

Sources:

Bergeron, H. C., & Tripp, R. A. (2021). Immunopathology of RSV: an updated review. Viruses, 13(12), 2478. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13122478

Killikelly, A. M., Kanekiyo, M., & Graham, B. S. (2016). Pre-fusion F is absent on the surface of formalin-inactivated respiratory syncytial virus. Scientific reports, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep34108

Papi, A., Ison, M. G., Langley, J. M., Lee, D. G., Leroux-Roels, I., Martinon-Torres, F., … & Hulstrøm, V. (2023). Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccine in Older Adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 388(7), 595-608. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2209604