The unique properties of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) make it a promising vaccine platform. With the advent of plasmid-based approaches to generate recombinant VSV viruses that express glycoproteins of other viruses, researchers now have the means to generate vaccine candidates targeting a variety of human pathogens. This chapter gives a general overview of the workings of VSV as a vaccine platform and provides a detailed protocol for the generation of recombinant VSV from plasmids.
Keywords: Reverse genetics; T7 RNA polymerase; Vaccine platform; Vaccinia virus; Vesicular stomatitis virus.