Coxsackievirus B3 VLPs purified by ion exchange chromatography elicit strong immune responses in mice

• Scalable chromatographic purification method for CVB3 VLPs and virus was developed.
• High-quality CVB3 VLPs and virus were achieved.
• CVB3 VLPs induced strong immune response in mice.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is an important cause of acute and chronic viral myocarditis, and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Although vaccination against CVB3 could significantly reduce the incidence of serious or fatal viral myocarditis and various other diseases associated with CVB3 infection, there is currently no vaccine or therapeutic reagent in clinical use. In this study, we contributed towards the development of a CVB3 vaccine by establishing an efficient and scalable ion exchange chromatography-based purification method for CVB3 virus and baculovirus-insect cell-expressed CVB3 virus-like particles (VLPs). This purification system is especially relevant for vaccine development and production on an industrial scale. The produced VLPs were characterized using a number of biophysical methods and exhibited excellent quality and high purity. Immunization of mice with VLPs elicited a strong immune response, demonstrating the excellent vaccine potential of these VLPs.