Recent progress in pneumococcal protein vaccines

Front Immunol. 2023 Sep 25:14:1278346. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1278346. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Pneumococcal infections continue to pose a significant global health concern, necessitating the development of effective vaccines. Despite the progress shown by pneumococcal polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines, their limited coverage and the emergence of non-vaccine serotypes have highlighted the need for alternative approaches. Protein-based pneumococcal vaccines, targeting conserved surface proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae, have emerged as a promising strategy. In this review, we provide an overview of the advancements made in the development of pneumococcal protein vaccines. We discuss the key protein vaccine candidates, highlight their vaccination results in animal studies, and explore the challenges and future directions in protein-based pneumococcal vaccine.

Keywords: Pneumococcal protein vaccine; Streptococcus pneumoniae; pneumococcal histidine triad proteins; pneumococcal surface proteins; pneumolysin.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Pneumococcal Infections* / prevention & control
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines*
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae
  • Vaccines, Conjugate

Substances

  • Pneumococcal Vaccines
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Vaccines, Conjugate

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32160232, to SL, 32160183, to X-YY), Guizhou Provincial Natural Science Foundation (QKH-ZK[2021]YB420 and QKH-[2018]5772-018, to SL), Beijing Normal University via the Youth Talent Strategic Program Project (310432102, to ZG).