The choice of linker for conjugating R848 to inactivated influenza virus determines the stimulatory capacity for innate immune cells

Inactivated influenza vaccines are not approved for use in infants less than 6 months of age due to poor immunogenicity in that population. While the live attenuated influenza vaccine has the potential to be more immunogenic, it is not an option for infants and other vulnerable populations, including the elderly and immunocompromised individuals due to safety concerns. In an effort to improve the immunogenicity of the inactivated vaccine for use in vulnerable populations, we have used an approach of chemically crosslinking the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist R848 directly to virus particles. We have reported previously that an R848-conjugated, inactivated vaccine is more effective at inducing adaptive immune responses and protecting against lung pathology in influenza challenged neonatal African green monkeys than is the unmodified counterpart. In the current study, we describe a second generation vaccine that utilizes an amide-sulfhydryl crosslinker with different spacer chemistry and length to couple R848 to virions. The new vaccine has significantly enhanced immunostimulatory activity for murine macrophages and importantly for monocyte derived human dendritic cells. Demonstration of the significant differences in stimulatory activity afforded by modest changes in linker impacts our fundamental view of the design of TLR agonist-antigen vaccines.