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Virology Research Journal
Volume 1 Issue 4
Vaccines World 2017
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Page 21
November 09-10, 2017 Vienna, Austria
21
st
World Congress and Exhibition on
VACCINES, VACCINATION & IMMUNIZATION
Challenges and dilemmas about vaccines against
Epstein Barr virus and the other herpesviruses
Emmanuel Drouet
University of Grenoble-Alpes, France
H
uman Herpesviruses (HHV1-8) have co-evolved
through a persistent infection in the host, spread
efficiently to others, generally without causing serious disease.
The complex interplay between host and virus has made it
difficult to elaborate useful vaccine strategies to protect against
the HHV-associated diseases. The Varicella-Zoster vaccine
represents the paradigm of a successful Herpesvirus vaccine.
This live-attenuated vaccine demonstrates unequivocally that
it is possible to develop vaccines against these viruses. Over
the years, the development of HHV vaccines has been a story
of mixed fortunes, especially for HSV-2 and HCMV. However,
studies carried out in various disease settings (i.e. transplant
patients or pregnant women), have clearly emphasized the
importance of cellular immunity and it is indeed encouraging
to see that recent HHV vaccine (i.e. HCMV) development
programs have started to incorporate this arm of the immune
system. Nowadays, an array of arguments calls for a realistic
goal for vaccine strategies which should be preventing
HHV disease rather than HHV infection. It is particularly
the case for the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV or HHV4) which
is the primary cause of infectious mononucleosis and is
associated with epithelial cell carcinomas, as well as lymphoid
malignancies. One challenge is that the EBV expresses very
different proteins during its lytic and its latent phases. To
address this, vaccine candidates have been designed to include
proteins from both phases. Here we review the history of
EBV vaccine development and the current strategies in the
development of new EBV vaccines: As EBV is associated
with nearly 200,000 new malignancies each year worldwide,
an EBV vaccine to prevent these diseases is really needed.
Parallel to this need one could propose priorities for future
research: (i) identification of surrogate markers that predict
the development of EBV-related malignancies. (ii) definition
of a goal for an EBV vaccine and criteria for licensure.
Biography
Emmanuel Drouet is a Professor of Virology at the University of Grenoble-Alps
(France), He previously served as a Biomedical Pathologist in the Institut Pasteur
(Lyon, France). His research investigates the persisting viruses in human (RNA
and DNA viruses) and the balance with our host immune system. He focuses
on their effects on humans (both their impact in pathology and their symbiotic
relationships in humans). He has an excellent track record in herpesvirus field,
and his group is engaged in clinical research in the field of EBV diseases. His
current research included the field of Hepatitis C Virus research, leading to
elucidation of some aspects of its epidemiology and control.
Emmanuel.Drouet@ibs.frEmmanuel Drouet, Virol Res J 2017, 1:4