An overview of anti-Chikungunya antibody response in natural infection and vaccine-mediated immunity, including anti-CHIKV vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies targeting diverse epitopes on the viral envelope

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne alphavirus which infects people severely and is responsible for epidemic outbreaks worldwide. Despite its rising prevalence globally, there are no approved vaccines for prevention and treatment of CHIKV infections to-date. Humoral immunity has been identified as a potential immune correlate of protection against CHIKV infection. Many CHIKV vaccine candidates are being developed currently, with the goal of generating long-term humoral responses. Clinical trials on these various vaccine candidates demonstrate the role of humoral immunity in CHIKV infection management. This review outlines the role of neutralizing antibodies in protection against natural CHIKV infection and vaccine-induced protective response. The vaccine candidates inducing humoral response have been summarized. Both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies can act as immunotherapeutics for providing immunity against CHIKV infection, and advancement in monoclonal antibody technologies has led to isolation of a diverse panel of monoclonal antibodies targeting diverse epitopes of E1 and E2 envelope glycoprotein. This review also presents the current status and recent advances in the development of anti-CHIKV monoclonal antibodies, focusing on those that have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical animal models or clinical trials and their potential in a novel therapeutic approach for clinical development. Herein, we have also discussed the characteristics of monoclonal antibodies directed at distinct epitopes of CHIKV and have shed light on their role in the design of subunit vaccines. Further research on assessment of novel vaccine candidates-induced antibody responses in various age groups, infected patients, and at-risk individuals may aid in the development of effective vaccines to prevent CHIKV infection. To summarize, more studies on the characterization of humoral immune responses in CHIKV-infected patients, antibody-dependent enhancement, and identification of major neutralizing antibody targets can assist in designing effective anti-CHIKV immunotherapeutics.