Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40153527›Full record

ReviewHuman vaccines & immunotherapeutics2025

The live attenuated varicella-zoster virus vaccine vOka: Molecular and cellular biology of its skin attenuation.

Cristina Tommasi, Andriani Drousioti, Judith Breuer

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Varicella zoster virus infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Cristina TommasiInfection, Immunity and Inflammation Department, University College London GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4314-5088
Andriani DrousiotiInfection, Immunity and Inflammation Department, University College London GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Judith BreuerInfection, Immunity and Inflammation Department, University College London GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Funding

Virus Production and Manipulation of Protein/Gene Expression ModuleP30EY008098 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Yuanyuan Chen · 1989 to 2026
$17.8M
VZV vaccine attenuation and the DNA damage responseR01AI158510 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Paul R. Kinchington · 2022 to 2026
$3.2M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY008098NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI158510
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox and shingles, both manifesting as a blistering skin rash. The skin is central to VZV, as the site of viral replication, transmission from cell-free virus in blisters and as the gateway to sensory nerves for establishing latency. The existing chickenpox vaccine is based on the live attenuated vOka strain and is impaired for replication in skin. While the genetics of the vOka vaccine have been extensively studied, critical gaps exist in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of vOka attenuation, particularly in human skin models. This review aims to explore the molecular biology of vOka vaccine, focusing on its genetic diversity, interaction with host skin pathways, and the impact of vOka mutations in key VZV genes on attenuation mechanisms in human skin models. Insights from this review may guide the development of next-generation varicella vaccines and enhance the understanding of VZV pathogenesis.

Indexed as

ChickenpoxChickenpox VaccineHerpesvirus 3, HumanHerpes ZosterSkinAnimalsHumansMutationVaccines, AttenuatedVirus ReplicationChickenpox VaccineVaccines, Attenuatedkeratinocyteslive attenuated virusskinVaricella-zoster virus (VZV)vOka vaccine

Identifiers

PMID40153527
PMCPMC11959904

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.