A multivalent mRNA monkeypox virus vaccine (BNT166) protects mice and macaques from orthopoxvirus disease. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38366591/)

These scientists wanted to create a new vaccine to protect people from a virus called monkeypox, which was spreading rapidly from person to person in 2022. They made a special vaccine called BNT166 that they hoped would be very effective, safe, easy to use, and could be made in large quantities.

To make sure their vaccine would work well against different forms of the virus, they tested two versions of the vaccine on mice. One version had four different parts of the virus in it (A35, B6, M1, H3), and the other had three parts without H3. Both versions of the vaccine made the mice's immune systems very strong, producing special cells and antibodies that could fight off the virus.

When they tested the vaccines on the mice, they found that both versions of the vaccine completely protected the mice from getting sick when they were exposed to different forms of the monkeypox virus. They also tested the vaccine on monkeys and found that the four-part version was 100% effective at preventing the monkeys from getting sick and dying when they were exposed to a dangerous form of the virus.

Now, the scientists are testing the vaccine on people to make sure it is safe and works well in humans. This is an important step to make sure that the vaccine can be used to protect people from getting sick from monkeypox in the future.

Zuiani A., Dulberger CL., De Silva NS., Marquette M., Lu YJ., Palowitch GM., Dokic A., Sanchez-Velazquez R., Schlatterer K., Sarkar S., Kar S., Chawla B., Galeev A., Lindemann C., Rothenberg DA., Diao H., Walls AC., Addona TA., Mensa F., Vogel AB., Stuart LM., van der Most R., Srouji JR., Tureci O., Gaynor RB., Sahin U., Poran A. A multivalent mRNA monkeypox virus vaccine (BNT166) protects mice and macaques from orthopoxvirus disease. Cell. 2024 Mar 14;187(6):1363-1373.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.017. Epub 2024 Feb 15.