Inclusion of a retroviral protease enhances the immunogenicity of VLP-forming mRNA vaccines against HIV-1 or SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) has emerged as a highly effective and versatile platform for vaccine delivery. We previously designed a virus-like particle (VLP)-forming mRNA vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) that elicited envelope-specific neutralizing antibodies and protection from heterologous simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection in rhesus macaques. Here, we introduce a key technological advance to this platform by inclusion of mRNA encoding a retroviral protease to process Gag and produce mature VLPs.

Recent advances in infectious disease research using cryo-electron tomography.

With the increasing spread of infectious diseases worldwide, there is an urgent need for novel strategies to combat them. Cryogenic sample electron microscopy (cryo-EM) techniques, particularly electron tomography (cryo-ET), have revolutionized the field of infectious disease research by enabling multiscale observation of biological structures in a near-native state. This review highlights the recent advances in infectious disease research using cryo-ET and discusses the potential of this structural biology technique to help discover mechanisms of infection in native environments and guiding in the right direction for future drug discovery.