TUESDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- A peptide vaccine targeting human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) protects mice against the virus as well as other HPV subtypes, according to a report published online April 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
Hannah H. Alphs, from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues vaccinated mice subcutaneously or intranasally with an HPV16 peptide recognized by a protective antibody or the peptide linked to two immunogenic epitopes.
The researchers found that only the linked peptide generated a potent antibody response against not only HPV16 but several other genital (HPV18, HPV45) and cutaneous (HPV5, BPV1) pseudovirions. The linked peptide was also able to protect against challenge with cutaneous and genital HPV16 pseudovirions as well as HPV45 pseudovirions.
"If provided in the appropriate context, therefore, HPV16 [peptide] might be used in a totally synthetic cross-protective HPV vaccine," Alphs and colleagues conclude.
Authors of the study have reported a financial link to the pharmaceutical industry.
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