A Randomized Phase I Clinical Trial of HydroVax-CHIKV, a Novel Inactivated Chikungunya Virus Vaccine

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Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus that has gained significant attention due to its ability to cause large epidemics among susceptible populations and to be spread beyond endemic countries by international travelers. Among a population of approximately 750,000 on the French island of La Reunion, 266,000 people were infected and over 200 CHIKV-related fatalities occurred during the 2006 outbreak. Likewise, an estimated 1.4 million people were infected with CHIKV in India during outbreaks that occurred from 2006 to 2007 and recently there have been more than 1.7 million people infected with CHIKV in the Caribbean and the Americas. At present, there is no commercial vaccine available for CHIKV. The development of an inactivated CHIKV vaccine suitable for immunizing the general population as well as vulnerable groups including infants and the elderly represents an important unmet clinical need. To address this critical unmet need, we have discovered a safe and immunogenic peroxide-inactivated chikungunya virus vaccine, HydroVax-CHIKV. Importantly, this advanced vaccine is safe and provides complete protection against infection and CHIKV-associated pathology in a robust mouse model. Here, we propose a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 1 dose escalation trial to evaluate the preliminary safety and immunogenicity of HydroVax-CHIKV. Our goal is to eventually provide vaccine coverage to vulnerable populations and the successful completion of this study will represent a key milestone in the advancement of a clinically relevant vaccine against chikungunya virus and provide a much- needed approach to protect the most susceptible members of society including infants, elderly, and those with potentially compromised immune functions.