VaccineDec 27, 2025

New combined mRNA and protein vaccines improve antibody response and protection against respiratory syncytial virus

mRNA Technology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 7, 2026

Abstract

The new pre-F mRNA vaccine induced significantly higher titers of neutralizing antibodies against RSV A and B strains in a mouse study.

A prefusion mRNA vaccine containing specific mutations was developed to improve efficacy against RSV.
The mRNA vaccine encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles effectively generated neutralizing antibodies and a Th1-type T cell response.
Combining the pre-F mRNA vaccine with pre-F protein resulted in enhanced immune responses compared to using either vaccine type alone.
The combination vaccination strategy provided better protection by reducing viral loads and lung inflammation after exposure to RSV.
The study indicates that using both mRNA and protein vaccines could lead to improved immunity against RSV.

Simplified

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes high hospitalization and mortality in children and the elderly. RSV prefusion conformation-stabilized fusion (F) protein vaccines have been licensed for elderly and maternal vaccination. Nonetheless, a demand exists for an effective RSV vaccine in elderly and young children, avoiding vaccine-enhanced disease. We developed a new prefusion mRNA containing a prototype (DS-Cav1 pre-F) stabilizing and additional fusion domain mutations. The new pre-F mRNA vaccine, encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP), effectively induced neutralizing antibodies and a preferential Th1-type effector T cell response in mice. Remarkably, a combination of pre-F mRNA-LNP and pre-F protein elicited significantly higher titers of neutralizing antibodies against RSV A and B strains than either pre-F mRNA or protein vaccine alone. Pre-F mRNA and its combination with pre-F protein provided protection by clearing lung viral loads, preventing lung histopathology and inflammation, compared to the prototype pre-F protein. Combination pre-F mRNA and pre-F protein vaccination modulated balanced effector CD8 T cell responses after challenge. This study supports the idea that combining pre-F mRNA and pre-F protein vaccines would provide more effective humoral and balanced cellular immunity than either mRNA or protein vaccine alone.

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Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

PubMed

New combined mRNA and protein vaccines improve antibody response and protection against respiratory syncytial virus

Abstract

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Competing interests

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Abstract

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