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Xavier Saelens & Walter Fiers
Molecular Virology
VIB Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, UGent
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Xavier Saelens
PhD: Univ. of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium, '90
Postdoc: Univ. of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium, '90-'04
VIB Project Leader since 2005
VIB Expert Scientist since 2009
Walter Fiers
PhD: Univ. of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium, '63
Pre-and Postdoc: Rockefeller Univ., NY, USA, '60-'61
Res. Associate: California Inst. of Technology (Caltech), California, USA, '60-'62
Res. Associate: Univ. of Wisconsin, Inst. for Enzyme Research, Madison, USA, '63
Director Head of Lab of Mol. Biology, '67-'97
Scientific Director, Dept. of Mol. Biology, '96-'97 |
e-mail
phone +32 9 331 36 20
ADDRESS
e-mail
phone +32 9 331
ADDRESS
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Current team members
Expert: Xavier Saelens
Science advisor: Walter Fiers
Postdoctoral scientists: Bert Schepens, Karim El Bakkouri, Lorena Itati Ibanez, Marina De Filette
Ph.D. Students: Judith Verhelst, Kenny Roose, Michael Schotsaert, Miguel Lopez Cardoso, Sarah De Baets
Support personnel: Anouk Smet, Frederik Vervalle, Tine Ysenbaert
Keywords
influenza - viral growt and purification - recombinant vaccines - oligomerization - antiviral immunity
Science
How does the universal influenza A vaccine work and how does this help to develop novel prophylactic vaccines?
Human influenza is a very contagious disease caused by influenza A or B viruses, causing not only high morbidity, but also considerable mortality especially among the elderly and certain risk groups. Current vaccines are based on the variable hemagglutinin (and neuraminidase) membrane proteins, and consist of inactivated virus from two influenza A virus strains (H3N2 and H1N1) and one influenza B strain (trivalent vaccine) representative of the strains circulating in the human population every year. Influenza A viruses present in several animal species pose another problem, not only for animal welfare, but also as a reservoir for new influenza A genes or viruses for humans.
We are focusing on the third small, integral membrane protein encoded by the virus, the M2-protein, for the development of a broad (universal) human influenza A vaccine. M2 as such cannot, despite the almost complete conservation in its ectodomain, establish a protective immune response. We have explored the potential of chimeric M2e-HBc particles as a universal vaccine against Influenza A. This vaccine successfully passed a phase I clinical trial. We are now elucidating the immune mechanism of action of the M2e-vaccine and are aiming to define correlates of protection. We are pursuing similar studies with the NB protein of influenza B, a glycoprotein with a conserved ectodomain and topologically similar to M2. We are also developing another method for presentation of M2e (and NBe), as a fusion protein with a mutant form of the GCN4 leucine zipper, which should lead to tetrameric molecules like the native M2 and NB proteins.
Link to Group's website for more details.
Press Releases
See also press release (04/01/2008): Universal influenza vaccine tested successfully in humans based on recent results of Acambis.
See also press release (17/07/2007): New: universal flu vaccine being tested on humans
Selected Publications
De Filette M, Martens W, Roose K, Deroo T, Vervalle F, Bentahir M, Vandekerckhove J, Fiers W, Saelens X
An influenza A vaccine based on tetrameric ectodomain of matrix protein 2
J BIOL CHEM 283, 11382-7, 2008
De Filette M, Ramne A, Birkett A, Lycke N, Löwenadler B, Min Jou W, Saelens X, Fiers W
The universal influenza vaccine M2e-HBc administered intranasally in combination with the adjuvant CTA1-DD provides complete protection
VACCINE 24, 544-51, 2006
De Filette M, Min Jou W, Birkett A, Lyons K, Schultz B, Tonkyro A, Resch S, Fiers W
Universal influenza A vaccine: Optimization of M2-based constructs
VIROLOGY 337, 149-161, 2005
Neirynck S, Deroo T, Saelens X, Vanlandschoot P, Min Jou W, Fiers W
A universal influenza A vaccine based on the extracellular domain of the M2 protein.
NAT MED 5, 1157-1163, 1999
Saelens X, Vanlandschoot P, Martinet W, Maras M, Neirynck S, Contreras R, Fiers W, Min Jou W
Protection of mice against a lethal influenza virus challenge after immunization with yeast-derived secreted influenza virus hemagglutinin
EUR J BIOCHEM 260, 166-175, 1999
Search Publications
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