Expression of chikungunya virus-like particles

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus responsible for painful disabling polyarthritis, undergoing re-emergence in the Indian Ocean and the Asian continent. Travelling and changing patterns of vector distribution, and abundance due to climate changes, make CHIKV a global threat without effective control strategies. One approach to reduce the CHIKV burden is the development of a vaccine. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a safe and highly effective class of subunit vaccines that mimic the overall structure of virus particles. Accordingly, we aim to produce CHIKV VLPs in a baculovirus-insect cell system, well known for allowing high yields of recombinant protein expression, to be used as a vaccine preparation.