Safety and Immunogenicity of a Tetravalent Dengue DNA Vaccine Administered with a Cationic Lipid-Based Adjuvant in a Phase 1 Clinical Trial

Abstract

We conducted an open label, dose escalation Phase 1 clinical trial of a tetravalent dengue DNA vaccine (TVDV) formulated in Vaxfectin^® to assess safety and immunogenicity. A total of 40 dengue- and flavivirus-naive volunteers received either low-dose (1 mg) TVDV alone (N = 10, group 1), low-dose TVDV (1 mg) formulated in Vaxfectin (N = 10, group 2), or high-dose TVDV (2 mg, group 3) formulated in Vaxfectin^® (N = 20). Subjects were immunized intramuscularly with three doses on a 0-, 30-, 90-day schedule and monitored. Blood samples were obtained after each immunization and various time points thereafter to assess anti-dengue antibody and interferon gamma (IFNγ) T-cell immune responses. The most common adverse events (AEs) across all groups included mild to moderate pain and tenderness at the injection site, which typically resolved within 7 days. Common solicited signs and symptoms included fatigue (42.5%), headache (45%), and myalgias (47.5%). There were no serious AEs related to the vaccine or study procedures. No anti-dengue antibody responses were detected in group 1 subjects who received all three immunizations. There were minimal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and neutralizing antibody responses among groups 2 and 3 subjects who completed the immunization schedule. By contrast, IFNγ T-cell responses, regardless of serotype specificity, occurred in 70%, 50%, and 79% of subjects in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The largest IFNγ T-cell responses were among group 3 subjects. We conclude that TVDV was safe and well-tolerated and elicited predominately anti-dengue T-cell IFNγ responses in a dose-related fashion.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00290147.

Figure 1.

Study subject disposition. Blocks indicate the total number of subjects in each group and the disposition of such subjects during the study. * Lost to follow-up because of relocation, $ Consent withdrawn (N = 1) after first dose but safety data available.

Figure 2.

Interferon gamma T-cell enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) results. Each graph represents ELISPOT results for subjects who received either 1 mg total of TVDV alone (A, group 1), 1 mg TVDV with Vaxfectin (B, group 2) or 2 mg with Vaxfectin (C, group 3). The individual volunteer numbers are listed on the x axis, group by day. The y axis shows ELISPOT result in number of spots/10⁵ total cells. The z axis shows the serotype-specific peptide pool used to stimulate the cells. Each bar represents the average ELISPOT result for the indicated volunteer for the indicated peptide pool.