AUTHOR=Sharma Shivangi , Yadav Pragya D. , Cherian Sarah 

TITLE=Comprehensive immunoinformatics and bioinformatics strategies for designing a multi-epitope based vaccine targeting structural proteins of Nipah virus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1535322

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2025.1535322

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=BackgroundNipah virus (NiV) is characterized by recurring outbreaks and causes severe neurological impact, leading to increased mortality rates. Despite the severity of the disease, there is no proven post-exposure treatment available, emphasizing the critical need for the development of an effective vaccine.ObjectiveThis study was aimed at designing a multi-epitope based vaccine candidate based on an in-silico approach.MethodsNiV’s Structural proteins were screened for B and T-cell epitopes, assessing characteristics like antigenicity, immunogenicity, allergenicity, and toxicity. Two vaccine constructs (NiV_1 & 2) were designed using different adjuvants (Cholera toxin and Beta-defensin 3) and linkers and their predicted 3D structures were evaluated for interaction with Toll-Like Receptor TLR-3 using docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies. Finally, The potential expression of the vaccine construct in Escherichia coli (E. coli.) was verified by cloning it into the PET28a (+) vector and immune simulations were undertaken.ResultsThe study identified 30 conserved, antigenic, immunogenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic epitopes with a broad population coverage. Based on the stability of vaccine construct in MD simulations results, NiV_1 was considered for further analysis. In-silico immune simulations of NiV_1 indicated a substantial immunogenic response. Moreover, codon optimization and in-silico cloning validated the expressions of designed vaccine construct NiV_1 in E. coli.ConclusionThe findings indicate that the NiV_1 vaccine construct has the potential to elicit both cellular and humoral immune responses. Additional in vitro and in vivo investigations are required to validate the computational observations.