New evidence on the virus capsid as a vaccine candidate against the Dengue 2 virus without the induction of neutralizing antibodies

Introduction Dengue is the most widely extended human viral disease transmitted by arthropods. The agent producing this disease is the dengue virus (DV) belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family, which is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito [1]. A large number of strategies are now under study for the production of an effective and safe vaccine against dengue, although up to now no single vaccine has proven to be completely effective. The most advanced vaccine candidates in the world are formed by attenuated strains of the virus, which have the drawback that there is a possibility of reversion to virulence as well as its reactogenicity that has been detected in human beings [2]. Taking into account these disadvantages, the variant of a formulation based on recombinant proteins is an attractive strategy for the development of a vaccine candidate. The envelop protein is the main target of the host immune response, which can induce high titers of neutralizing antibodies. However, the vaccine candidates based on this protein have the potential risk of inducing antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) if an effective neutralizing response against the four serotypes is not obtained [3]. Recent studies indicate a correlation between the generation of a cytotoxic cellular response and the protection to viral challenge in different animal models [4]. Hence, we proposed the development of the capsid protein as a vaccine candidate against this virus, since it is incapable of inducing anti-viral antibodies, thereby discarding the risk of inducing ADA.