Availability of wildtype antigen means vaccine for hCMV now easier to develop

The Native Antigen Company (NAC), a company specialising in the development of antigens for use in vaccine research and serological detection, has announced the release of a commercially available human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) glycoprotein H (gH) complex, comprising five viral proteins (gH, gL, UL128, UL130, and UL131). 

The new gH complex is now expressed on the hCMV strains available from NAC. By ensuring that the antigen is the same as the wildtype this means that researchers can now conduct experiments using the virus as it naturally appears, greatly increasing progress toward an effective vaccine.  This has been missing from currently used laboratory strains such as AD169 and has, to date, placed severe limitations on vaccine development.

Receptor-mediated viral entry into endothelial cells requires a functional gH pentameric complex, and this complex is one of the primary targets for antiviral antibodies in infected individuals. NAC’s new recombinant hCMV gH complex will be key to enabling essential basic and applied research. In addition the gH complex is expected to provide the basis for a new generation of IVD tests.

NAC’s aim was to produce a native-like gH pentameric in complex in human cells. NAC found that using the native host system is the best way to ensure that all proteins are properly folded and possess their native glycosylation pattern. By using the native host system, they found that the antigen had the same characteristics as the wildtype, making it ideal for research.

hCMV can cause serious morbidity and mortality in immune compromised individuals such as transplant recipients and HIV patients, and congenital HCMV infection can lead to birth defects.

Andrew Maxwell, NAC’s CEO said: “Through our novel approach and expertise we have succeeded in developing a commercially available pentameric antigen for  hCMV, which could form the research platform for development of a suitable vaccine.”

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