Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40573959›Full record

ArticleVaccines2025

Development of an Influenza/COVID-19 Combination mRNA Vaccine Containing a Novel Multivalent Antigen Design That Enhances Immunogenicity of Influenza Virus B Hemagglutinins.

Elena Thornhill-Wadolowski, Dana L Ruter, Feng Yan, Mayur Gajera, Evan Kurt, Labannya Samanta, Kimberlin Leigh, Jianbo Zhu, Zhijun Guo, Zihao Wang and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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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

13 authors.

Elena Thornhill-WadolowskiImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Dana L RuterImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Feng YanImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Mayur GajeraImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Evan KurtImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5402-373X
Labannya SamantaImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Kimberlin LeighImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Jianbo ZhuImmorna (Hangzhou) Biotechnology, Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311215, China.
Zhijun GuoImmorna (Hangzhou) Biotechnology, Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311215, China.
Zihao WangImmorna (Hangzhou) Biotechnology, Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311215, China.
Yuanqing LiuImmorna (Shanghai) Biotechnology, Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201108, China.
Jaewoo LeeImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.
Marcin BugnoImmorna Biotherapeutics, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesDeveloping next-generation mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccines remains challenging, primarily because of the relatively low immunogenicity of influenza B hemagglutinin (HA) antigens. We describe a systematic vaccine development strategy that combined vector and antigen design optimization.

methodsNovel untranslated region (UTR) sequences and a hybrid poly(A) tail were used to increase plasmid stability and mRNA expression. Fusion proteins containing HA antigens linked by T4 foldon domains were engineered to enhance the immune responses against influenza B HA antigens and to permit the expression of multiple HA ectodomains from a single mRNA species. The vaccine performance was verified in a traditional encapsulated lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation that requires long-term storage at temperatures below -15 °C as well as in a proprietary thermo-stable LNP formulation developed for the long-term storage of the mRNA vaccine at 2-8 °C.

resultsIn preclinical studies, our next-generation seasonal influenza vaccine tested alone or as a combination influenza/COVID-19 mRNA vaccine elicited hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers significantly higher than Fluzone HD, a commercial inactivated influenza vaccine, across all 2024/2025 seasonal influenza strains, including the B/Victoria lineage strain. At the same time, the combination mRNA vaccine demonstrated superior neutralizing antibody titers to 2023/2024 Spikevax, a commercial COVID-19 comparator mRNA vaccine.

conclusionsOur data demonstrate that the multimerization of antigens expressed as complex fusion proteins is a powerful antigen design approach that may be broadly applied toward mRNA vaccine development.

Indexed as

hemagglutinininfluenza/COVID-19 combination vaccinemultimeric antigensseasonal influenza mRNA vaccine

Identifiers

PMID40573959
PMCPMC12197711

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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.