H7N9 Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Is Highly Immunogenic, Prevents Virus Replication, and Protects Against Severe Bronchopneumonia in Ferrets

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1 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy original article H7N9 Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Is Highly Immunogenic, Prevents Virus Replication, and Protects Against Severe Bronchopneumonia in Ferrets Jørgen de Jonge, Irina Isakova-Sivak, Harry van Dijken, Sanne Spijkers,, Justin Mouthaan,6, Rineke de Jong, Tatiana Smolonogina, Paul Roholl and Larisa Rudenko Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Department of Virology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Department of Virology, Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR, Lelystad, the Netherlands; Microscope Consultancy, Weesp, the Netherlands; Current address: BioNovion, Oss, the Netherlands; 6 Current address: Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands Avian influenza viruses continue to cross the species barrier, and if such viruses become transmissible among humans, it would pose a great threat to public health. Since its emergence in China in, H7N9 has caused considerable morbidity and mortality. In the absence of a universal influenza vaccine, preparedness includes development of subtype-specific vaccines. In this study, we developed and evaluated in ferrets an intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) against H7N9 based on the A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN) cold-adapted master donor virus. We demonstrate that the LAIV is attenuated and safe in ferrets and induces high hemagglutination- and neuraminidase-inhibiting and virusneutralizing titers. The antibodies against hemagglutinin were also cross-reactive with divergent H7 strains. To assess efficacy, we used an intratracheal challenge ferret model in which an acute severe viral pneumonia is induced that closely resembles viral pneumonia observed in severe human cases. A single- and two-dose strategy provided complete protection against severe pneumonia and prevented virus replication. The protective effect of the two-dose strategy appeared better than the single dose only on the microscopic level in the lungs. We observed, however, an increased lymphocytic infiltration after challenge in single-vaccinated animals and hypothesize that this a side effect of the model. Received October ; accepted December ; advance online publication March 6. doi:.8/mt.6. INTRODUCTION Avian influenza viruses continue to cross the species barrier, and although infections detected in humans are incidental, they often have a severe outcome. In February, a novel influenza virus of the subtype H7N9 emerged in China and has since continued to infect humans in a seasonal-like fashion. As of May, 67 cases were confirmed to have been infected with H7N9 of which 6 have perished. Infections were mostly observed in people who visited live bird markets. Since the virus is mainly detected in poultry at these markets, it is assumed that H7N9 is transmitted from poultry to humans. The disease starts with typical influenza-like illness including fever and cough. Severe cases present viral pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multiorgan failure. However, these cases usually have underlying chronic conditions. Despite the fact that H7N9 has not yet been capable of establishing a sustained transmission among humans, the virus is considered to have potential to become pandemic in humans for several reasons., Firstly, as the virus is low pathogenic in birds, it slips under the radar unless active monitoring is performed. Secondly, since the first detection, the virus continues to emerge, expands geographically, and has diverged into different clades, 6 increasing the chance of acquiring the ability to transmit between humans. Furthermore, H7N9 viruses bind both avian-type (α,-linked sialic acid) and, to a lesser extent, human-type (α,6- linked sialic acid) receptors. 7,8 Regardless of the limited respiratory droplet transmission between ferrets, this dual-receptor specificity can be a critical feature for the acquisition of sustained human-to-human transmission in case more adaptive changes occur in the receptor-binding site. 9, Moreover, several isolates have been shown to be resistant to antivirals, which impedes preventive measures and treatment., Obviously, the human population is naive to H7N9, which allows the virus to spread easily without an immunological barrier once it becomes transmissible between humans. To anticipate possible future pandemics, the World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated several programs, the Global Action Plan (GAP) for influenza vaccines is one among them., This program includes the development of vaccines against potentially pandemic influenza viruses. Since for influenza, a universal vaccine is not yet available, development of subtype-specific vaccines up to clinical phase / is a manner to be able to rapidly act in the event of a pandemic. Careful consideration of which influenza viruses have a potency to initiate a pandemic is however Correspondence: Jørgen de Jonge, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 7 BA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands. jorgen.de.jonge@rivm.nl Molecular Therapy vol. no., 99 may 6 99

2 H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy required and still provides no guarantee. Based on the arguments above, H7N9 was recently included. Within the GAP program, we developed and evaluated a live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) against H7N9 based on the A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN) cold-adapted master donor virus. Prior to the H7N9 emergence, a number of H7 candidate vaccine viruses had been developed and tested in clinical trials, however, unfortunately none of them contained N9 neuraminidase (NA). 7 Antibodies against NA block the sialidase activity of neuraminidase and, as a consequence, impair viral budding and limit the infection. 8 Existing H7 vaccines contain N, N, or N7 NA genes; however, since their amino acid homology with N9 is less than %, there will be most likely no cross-reactive antibodies to N9. Although some studies show that previously developed vaccines against divergent H7 provide cross protection against H7N9, 9 this would only be a temporal solution in the absence of specific H7N9 vaccines. Vaccines that induce cross-reactive antibodies against H7 only and no antibodies against neuraminidase are likely less effective and therefore urge development of vaccines specific for the current H7N9 outbreak. Inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) provide strain-specific humoral immunity that does not protect against antigenic variations of the influenza virus. Moreover, IIVs do not induce mucosal immunity and thus fail to protect at the gate. Inactivated vaccines against H7N9 prove to be weak immunogenic, and adjuvation is required for sero-conversion, which makes the vaccine more complex. LAIVs are believed to be immunologically superior vaccines due to their potential to induce all arms of the adaptive immune responses, including induction of serum antibodies, mucosal immunity, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes targeted to conserved virus epitopes. Other advantages of LAIVs over traditional IIVs are a much cheaper and quicker manufacturing process and easier administration by intranasal spray. We developed an intranasal H7N9 live attenuated vaccine and evaluated safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in an intratracheally induced severe pneumonia ferret model. We show that the vaccine is safe and raises high hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) and neuraminidase-inhibiting (NI) titers and virus-neutralizing (VN) titers, which provide sterilizing immunity in challenged ferrets. Importantly, the vaccine protects against weight loss, fever, clinical disease, (severe) pneumonia, and death. RESULTS Generation and in vitro characterization of the H7N9 LAIV candidate To prepare for the event that H7N9 becomes transmissible between humans and a pandemic is on the verge, an H7N9 LAIV based on the A/Anhui// isolate representative for currently circulating H7N9 influenza in China was generated. The LAIV was constructed by classical reassortment in developing chicken embryos using the cold-adapted and temperature-sensitive master donor virus (MDV) A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN) as a backbone. 6 The resulting A/7/Anhui//6 (H7N9 LAIV) vaccine strain inherited HA and NA genes from wild-type (WT) H7N9 A/Anhui// parental virus and six internal genes from the MDV as confirmed by partial sequencing. 7 Full-length genome sequencing confirmed nucleotide sequences of six internal genes identical to the internal genes of the MDV. However, the HA gene of A/7/Anhui//6 reassortant virus revealed two nucleotide changes of A to G at positions and 99 (ORF numbering) compared with WT H7N9 (GISAID: EPI97). These changes resulted in changes at the amino acid level of Asn--Asp and Asn-9-Asp by H7 numbering (Figure ). In addition, the NA gene of the reassortant also contained a nucleotide change of C to T, which resulted in Thr--Ile change compared with NA of WT virus (GISAID: EPI99). To reveal whether these mutations were spontaneous or result from egg adaptation, we sequenced WT A/Anhui// passaged three, four, and five times in eggs and three times in eggs followed by one passage on Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells (Figure ). Interestingly, mutation at position (Asn--Asp) was appearing gradually during virus passaging in eggs, and after four sequential passages, the original nucleotide was detected at a very low level (approximately %) and almost disappeared by fifth egg passage. Noteworthy, one passage in MDCK cells could significantly restore the original population of WT virus, and the heterogeneity was seen at approximately % level. Similarly, the second mutation at position 99 could be partially restored after single passage in MDCK cells, whereas all egg-grown variants shared Asn-9-Asp mutation without quasi species. The Thr--Ile change in the NA protein was also appearing gradually during egg passaging and could be partially restored by a single passage in a mammalian host (Figure ). These data demonstrate a strong connection between egg passaging of WT H7N9 virus with the appearance of Asn--Asp and Asn- 9-Asp mutations in HA and Thr--Ile mutation in NA, i.e., these mutations are egg adapted. Passaging in mammalian cell culture can restore these mutations to the original residues. Therefore, during the generation of LAIV reassortant virus using the egg-based system, it is impossible to maintain the original mammalian cell adapted component of WT virus HA and NA, and the presence of egg-adapted component is inevitable. H7N9 LAIV has a cold-adapted and temperaturesensitive phenotype LAIVs are characterized by their temperature-sensitive (ts) and cold-adapted (ca) phenotype. The first phenotype is characterized by the inability to grow at temperatures that represent fever in humans and the latter by the ability to grow at low (6 C) temperatures. In chicken embryos, H7N9 LAIV (A/7/Anhui//6) exhibited high reproductive activity at an optimum incubation temperature of C (Supplementary Table S). Similar to the MDV (A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN)), the H7N9 LAIV acquired the ts and ca phenotypes. It reproduced well at a reduced temperature of 6 C and practically lost the ability to reproduce at temperature elevated to 8 9 C. The WT parent virus A/Anhui// (H7N9), in contrast, was distinguished by the ability to reproduce to high titers at 8 9 C and low reproduction at 6 C. H7N9 LAIV is attenuated in ferrets Next, attenuation of the H7N9 LAIV was evaluated in a ferret safety test performed according to the WHO biosafety guidelines on production and quality control of H7N9 vaccines. 8 When ferrets were intranasally infected with WT H7N9 (A/Anhui//, 99 vol. no. may 6

3 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets Figure Mutations as a result of egg adaptation. Sequencing diagrams of HA (nt and 99) and NA (nt 9) of WT A/Anhui// (H7N9) influenza after multiple passaging on eggs and a single passage on MDCKs. a b c Log TCID /g 8 6 Log TCID /ml Nose swabs Log TCID /ml Throat swabs Turbinates Trachea Lung OB Brain Days after infection Days after infection WT H7N9 HN MDV H7N9 LAIV Figure Virus replication in the respiratory tract and brain. (a) Virus titers in the nasal turbinates, trachea, lung, olfactory bulb (OB), and brain of ferrets sacrificed days after intranasal infection with either WT H7N9 (red triangles), HN master donor virus (MDV; blue circles), or H7N9 live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) (black squares). No virus replication was detected in the intestines or the spleen (not shown). (b) Nose and (c) throat swabs were performed on all animals (six per group) day prior to challenge and and days after infection. After termination of three animals per group days post infection (d.p.i.), sampling was continued in the remaining three animals on days 6, 8, and. The virus titers in the homogenized tissue samples or transport buffer of the swabs were determined by end-point titration on Madin Darby canine kidney cells using a fivefold serial dilution. WT H7N9 titrations were incubated at 7 C whereas HN MD and H7N9 LAIV titrations were performed at C. Presented are the individual log transformed titers connected with a line through the averages (b and c only). Dotted horizontal lines indicate limit of detection. Dotted vertical lines indicate day of termination of first three ferrets. Molecular Therapy vol. no. may 6 99

4 H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 7 TCID ), they did not develop any clear clinical signs of influenza illness. They did develop a mild fever and showed limited weight loss over a period of days (Supplementary Table S). In contrast, H7N9 LAIV and MDV did not induce fever or weight loss. High viral titers were detected days after infection with WT H7N9 in the upper (nasal turbinates) and lower (trachea and lung) respiratory tract and exterior of the respiratory system in the olfactory bulb (OB) and brain (Figure a), but not systemically (spleen and intestine data not shown). In the H7N9 LAIV and MDV infected ferrets, viral titers were only detected in the upper respiratory tract (nasal turbinates). WT H7N9 replicated at high levels in the nose and throat and continued until 6 and 8 days after infection, respectively, whereas only low levels in the nose and high levels in the throat were detected in the H7N9 LAIV infected ferrets until days after infection (Figure b,c). Infection with the MDV resulted in low levels of virus replication in the nose and substantial virus replication in the throat, however, this continued until day. Gross pathology performed on the lungs of ferrets sacrificed and days after infection showed only minor lesions in the lungs of WT H7N9-infected ferrets, which were approximately equal in MDV infected ferrets and less in the H7N9 LAIV infected ferrets (data not shown). Thus, the absence of clinical signs of disease, limitation of virus replication to only the upper respiratory tract, a reduced time span of viral replication, and reduced gross pathology confirmed the attenuated phenotype of the H7N9 LAIV. Single and booster vaccination with H7N9 LAIV induce high HI, NI, and VN antibody titers To investigate the immunogenicity of H7N9 LAIV, ferrets were intranasally vaccinated according to a single ( LAIV) and booster ( LAIV) strategy. As observed in the safety study (Figure ), days after first vaccination, high virus titers were detected in the throat of H7N9 LAIV-vaccinated ferrets. However, after booster vaccination ( days after primary vaccination), no virus was detected, indicating that the booster had been neutralized by the antibodies induced at primary vaccination. H7N9 LAIV induced high HI, NI, and VN antibody titers as detected in serum collected on days,, and after single vaccination and on day 7 after booster vaccination (Figure ). Seven days after first vaccination, no relevant titers could be detected, but the responses peak at (HI) and days after first vaccination (NI and VN). Despite booster vaccination, HI and VN titers declined but NI titers increased; however, none of the effects were significant. We next evaluated the cross-reactive potency of the vaccine-induced H7 antibodies against A/Netherlands// (H7N7) and A/mallard/Netherlands// (H7N) strains in sera obtained days after single vaccination and 7 days after booster vaccination (all obtained the day before challenge). The H7N7 strain was isolated from a human case during the outbreak in the Netherlands, and the H7N is a low-pathogenic avian influenza strain also used in a vaccine strain. The H7N7 and H7N strains share 96.% and 97.% homology with A/Anhui// (H7N9), respectively. The H7N9 LAIV vaccine induces cross-reactive antibodies against both H7 variants (Figure d), although higher responses were observed for the H7N strains, which also reflects the higher homology with H7N9. Thus, H7N9 is highly immunogenic and induces functional antibodies against hemagglutinin and neuraminidase surface proteins that result in high VN antibody titers. Moreover, the H7-directed antibodies cross react with divergent H7. H7N9 LAIV protects against severe disease and death Since intranasal infection only induced mild disease in ferrets (Supplementary Table S), 9,9 which does not represent the severe disease observed in H7N9-infected humans, the intratracheal challenge model was chosen to establish the protective efficacy of H7N9 LAIV. In a dose-escalation infection study, a dose of 7 TCID WT H7N9 influenza consistently induced severe pneumonia (data not shown), similar to as previously reported. Since at this dose, the disease progressed rapidly, termination was performed days post challenge (d.p.c.) to be able to compare end-point measurements. When placebo-vaccinated ferrets were challenged accordingly, they became less active (score ) that progressed to inactive behavior (score ) after days. They initially presented faster breathing (score ) which developed to heavy stomach breathing (score ) by d.p.c. (Supplementary Table S). Finally, three out of six animals succumbed to the infection prior to termination of the study. Ferrets vaccinated with H7N9 LAIV, on the other hand, only developed mild disease and showed none to some inactivity (score ) and few animals displayed faster breathing (score ), and none of the animals died. Less than d.p.c., placebo-vaccinated ferrets developed a substantial fever, which lasted for approximately day and after a small dip returned for another day (Figure a.). During the d.p.c., the average temperature was ~. C higher than normal, and the highest recorded fever was C above baseline (Supplementary Table S). In H7N9 LAIV-vaccinated ferrets, only a very mild induction of fever was registered after challenge (Figure a., a.). Vaccination significantly reduced the average temperature increase with.7.8 C and the highest recorded fever with ~. C (Supplementary Table S). Placebo-vaccinated ferrets lost between % and % of their body weight by d.p.c. (Figure b), the average weight was 8% lower than baseline and the average maximum recorded weight loss was % (Supplementary Table S). These effects were significantly (P <. for LAIV and P <. for LAIV) reduced in vaccinated ferrets (Supplementary Table S), although the weight of single-vaccinated ferrets started to descend slightly at d.p.c., while ferrets that had received a booster remained stable (Figure b). Hence, vaccination with H7N9 LAIV significantly reduced fever and weight loss. The booster strategy appeared more effective but was not significantly different from a single vaccination. H7N9 LAIV vaccination inhibits virus replication Upon intratracheal challenge, H7N9 WT virus replicated to high titers in the throat ( and d.p.c.) and in the lung and trachea ( d.p.c.; Figure ) of placebo-vaccinated ferrets. In the previous doseescalation study, no virus replication was detected in the nasal turbinates or brain (data not shown) and were therefore not analyzed here. Vaccination with either a single or a booster strategy inhibited virus replication, since the challenge virus could not be detected in the lung and trachea in any of the vaccinated ferrets and was also absent in the throat of almost all animals. In the throat, some virus 99 vol. no. may 6

5 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets a,8 a HI Antibodies b c d b, NI Antibodies a b c d 6,8 6 HI titers 8 NI titers 8 c VN Antibodies a b c d d HI cross-reactive antibodies 6 6 VN titers NI titers 8 WT H7N9 WT H7N WT H7N7 Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure Functional and neutralizing antibody responses. (a) Hemagglutination inhibition, (b) neuraminidase inhibition, and (c) virus neutralization antibody titers detected in sera during the course of the study in serum of placebo (black squares), LAIV (blue circles), or LAIV (red triangles) intranasally vaccinated ferrets. (d) Cross-reactive hemagglutination inhibition titers at the day before challenge. Titers were measured against four hemagglutinating units of H7N9 LAIV as a representative of the hemagglutinin of (a) WT virus, (d) WT H7N9, H7N, or H7N7 using a concentration of % horse erythrocytes (a), an H6N9 (RN9/-human reassortant strain) dilution with a neuraminidase activity resulting in ~OD after incubation of hour at 7 C (b), and against TCID of WT H7N9 (c). Inhibition of neuraminidase was considered at an OD of less than three times the SD below the maximal OD (standard H6N9). VN titer was determined at % virus neutralization according to Reed and Muench. 6 Presented are the individual titers and a line connecting the averages. Vertical dotted lines indicate the following: a. st vaccination LAIV; b. st vaccination LAIV; c. nd vaccination LAIV; d. challenge. LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine. replication just above the detection limit was observed in three vaccinated animals. H7N9 LAIV vaccination prevents severe pneumonia Three days after challenge, the lungs of four out of six placebo-immunized ferrets were swollen, appeared opalescent, and showed dark red lesions, which in extreme cases almost affected the whole lung (Figure 6a.,b). One ferret showed a relatively normal macroscopic appearance and one ferret had a moderately affected lung. This difference may be an effect of timing; since animals were sacrificed relatively short after challenge, severe pneumonia may not yet have been developed to such an extent in these animals to be macroscopically visible. Regardless, similar virus titers were detected in the respiratory tract as compared with the macroscopically severely affected ferrets, confirming successful challenge. Edema was observed flowing from the trachea of placebo-vaccinated ferrets, and due to presence of edema in the lungs, the weight of the lungs was increased up to three times compared with historic data. To rule out the differences in size of the ferrets, the ratio of the lung and body weight (relative lung weight (RLW)) was determined to be able to compare groups (Figure 6). Interestingly, the lung of the placebo- vaccinated ferret which had normal appearance was clearly increased in weight (RLW of.) indicating initiation of pneumonia. The severe effects observed in placebo-vaccinated ferrets were absent in H7N9 LAIV-vaccinated ferrets. Macroscopically only a Molecular Therapy vol. no. may 6 99

6 H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy a ΔT ( C) a a b c d b Body weight loss (%) a 9 9 Body weight loss $ ## $$ ## a b c d a b c d ΔT ( C) ΔT ( C) Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure Fever and weight loss. Body temperature was recorded every minutes by transponders that were placed in the intraperitoneal cavity: (a.) placebo; (a.) LAIV; (a.) LAIV. To analyze fever development, the temperature difference compared with baseline was calculated and the average ΔT per group was plotted. The dotted lines indicate the SD. The several sharp decreases in temperature are a result of sedation indicated by vertical dotted lines: a. baseline swabs and weight; b. challenge; c. swabs and weight; d. section. The temperature decrease of animals that succumbed to the infection started a couple of hours prior to death, and therefore in the placebo group five animals (one transponder had a power down) were included until day 9 (. p.m.); four animals until day (8. a.m.), and the remaining two animals until section. (b) Body weight prior to challenge was set at %, and percentage weight loss was subtracted from baseline. Presented are the individual body weight loss and lines connecting the averages. Placebo (black squares), LAIV (blue circles) or LAIV vaccinated (red triangles) vaccinated ferrets. ## P <.( LAIV,) $ P <. ( LAIV), and $$ P <.( LAIV) indicate difference compared with placebo by the Mann Whitney test. LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine. 8 Throat d.p.c. d.p.c. Lung Trachea Log TCID /ml or /g tissue 6 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure Virus replication in the respiratory tract. Virus titers in the throat and days post challenge (d.p.c.) and in the trachea and lung d.p.c. in placebo (black squares), LAIV vaccinated (blue circles), or LAIV (red triangles) vaccinated ferrets. The virus titers in the transport buffer of the swabs or homogenized tissue samples were determined by end-point titration on Madin Darby canine kidney cells using a fivefold serial dilution. Presented are the individual log transformed titers, their averages (bar), and SD (error bar). Dotted horizontal lines indicate limit of detection. Throat swabs taken prior to challenge were negative for virus replication (data not shown). LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine. few small spots (<%) were visible (Figure 6a., a.,b) on the lung surface, and the RLW of either vaccinated groups was significantly lower than the RLW of the placebo group (Figure 6c). Moreover, the LAIV-vaccinated ferrets had normal lung weights compared with historic data. Therefore, H7N9 LAIV vaccination with either strategy protects against severe lung damage and edema formation. Histopathological analysis of the lungs showed that after intratracheal challenge with WT H7N9, five out of six placebo-vaccinated ferrets developed a severe lung pathology characterized by a moderate-to-strong bronchopneumonia and a moderate interstitial and alveolar pneumonia (Figure 7a). Bronchiolar lumens were regularly obstructed by exudates, and bronchioli were inflamed. Necrosis and denudation of bronchiolar vol. no. may 6

7 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets b Affected lung tissue (%) a Affected lung tissue (macroscopy) ** ** a Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure 6 Affected lung tissue at the macroscopic level and edema formation. Representative images of inflated lungs (dorsal view) of (a.) placebo, (a.) LAIV vaccinated, and (a.) LAIV vaccinated ferrets. Bar = cm. (b) During section, the lung lobes were macroscopically examined and an estimate of the percentage tissue that was affected (dark red) was recorded. (c) The relative lung weight (RLW) was calculated as the percentage of the lung weight days post challenge (d.p.c.) relative to the body weight at the day of challenge. An increase of the RLW is caused by edema formation and is a measure for pneumonia. Presented are the individual values, their means (bar), and SDs (error bar). LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine. epithelium were frequently observed. Hyperemia is strongly present, and the alveolar space is regularly filled with edema, fibrin, debris, and large amounts of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells. Because of the severe pathology, examination of hypertrophy of alveolar type II cells was not possible. Part of the blood vessels and large bronchi were minimally involved in this inflammation. The severity and the amount of lung pathology were greatly decreased in the single-vaccinated group and further diminished in the booster group, and most of the above-described effects were either absent or minimally present. The remaining pathology was characterized by a slight-to-strong peribronchiolitis and perivasculitis, which was less pronounced in the LAIV group than in the LAIV group (Figure 7). A moderate hypertrophy of alveolar type II cells was observed in the LAIV group and to a lesser extent in the LAIV group. The overall pathology was expressed as the end score (Figure 7b) and determined based on the degree of damage and inflammation and the amount of tissue involved, using a scoring range from (no aberrations) to (severely affected). These scores show that both vaccination strategies significantly reduce lung pathology and that a booster vaccination is likely more effective. This is also reflected by the percentage of tissue that is involved in the infection pathology, which is clearly reduced compared with placebo-vaccinated ferrets (Figure 7c). c Relative lung weight (%) a Relative lung weight ** ** To further examine the nature of the infection pathology, we categorized pathology parameters that related to damage, acute inflammation and lymphocytic infiltrate. This allowed distinguishing between directly virus-induced effects (damage) and immune system related effects (the latter two categories). The category acute inflammation included infiltrates of PMN cells and macrophages and the category lymphocytic infiltrate included presence of lymphocytes, lymphoblasts, and plasma cells. These two categories allowed to discriminate between cells that relate to the innate and adaptive host response, respectively, although the latter category does not exclude natural killer cells. The three categories were separately assessed for the bronchi, bronchioli, blood vessels, interstitium, and alveoli (Figure 8). In the bronchi, only minor effects were observed and are not presented. Damage induced by the intratracheal infection is most pronounced in the bronchioli and to a lesser extent in the alveoli, and these are significantly reduced in the single and booster approach (Figure 8; upper panel). Significant reduction of damage in the interstitium and blood vessels was only observed for the booster strategy. Acute inflammation of the bronchioli is moderately to strong in the lungs of placebo-vaccinated ferrets (Figure 8, middle panel) and significantly reduced by either the single or booster vaccination approach. Acute inflammation in the alveoli is also significantly reduced in the vaccinated animals. Strikingly, the infiltration of lymphocytes including activated large lymphocytes and a few plasma cells is enhanced in single-vaccinated ferrets compared with placebo-vaccinated ferrets (Figure 8; lower panel). This effect is greatest and significant around the bronchioli and to a lesser extent around blood vessels and in the interstitium. The booster strategy does not show this significantly enhanced infiltration of lymphocytes, although lymphocytes are still present. Hence, single and booster vaccination with H7N9 LAIV reduce the severe damage and acute inflammation at the various levels in the lung induced by an intratracheal challenge. This effect appears more pronounced in the booster strategy, although there were no significant differences between the two vaccination strategies. However, a single vaccination enhances infiltration of lymphocytes. DISCUSSION Avian influenza A viruses keep crossing the species barrier, and would such a virus become transmissible between humans, this would pose a serious risk for the world population. The GAP for Influenza vaccines is one of WHO s programs to anticipate on such an event. Within this program, we developed a LAIV against potentially pandemic H7N9 influenza by classical reassortment 6 based on the backbone of the master donor strain A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN). H7N9 LAIV showed a shift of the replication optimum toward lower temperatures in embryonated chicken eggs, replicated only in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets, and did not induce clinical signs of influenza disease including fever or weight loss. As such, the vaccine showed an attenuated phenotype as compared with WT H7N9. Administration of a single dose induced high functional antibody titers against HA and NA and high VN titers in ferrets. A booster vaccination did not further enhance the antibody response. Both strategies induced cross-reactive HI titers against two divergent H7 strains Molecular Therapy vol. no. may 6 997

8 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets a b End score * * Score * a c Affected lung tissue (microscopy) a Affected tissue (%) * ** Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure 7 Microscopic analysis of lung pathology. Representative hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained lung sections of (a.) placebo, (a.) LAIV vaccinated, and (a.) LAIV vaccinated ferrets. Panel (a.) shows necrotizing and denudation of inflamed bronchioli with luminal plugs of inflammatory exudate (indicated by *), accompanied by a small peribronchiolar rim of lymphocytes and some polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells. Hyperemia is strongly present, and the alveolar space is partly filled with edema, fibrin, and debris; PMN cells are regularly present (indicated by ). Panels (a.) and (a.) show peribronchiolitis and (a.) also an enhanced cellularity of the interstitium. Alveolar inflammation is minimal or absent. Single-vaccinated ferrets (a.) reveal a moderate hyperplasia of the bronchiolar epithelial lining, some luminal exudate of PMN cells, and a strong peribronchiolar accumulation of lymphocytes. Double-vaccinated animals (a.) present a slight peribronchiolar infiltrate and slight hyperplasia of the epithelial lining and a minimal luminal exudate. Bar = μm. (b) The end score is an overall pathology score which is determined based on the amount of tissue affected, the degree of inflammation, and the amount of damage in the left caudal and cranial lung lobe. The scores range from (no aberrations) to (severely affected). (c) The estimated percentage of lung parenchyma involved in the infection pathology. Bars represent the mean and the error bars represent the SD. Statistical analysis was performed using (b) an adapted version of the Mann Whitney test for ordinal data with a small sample size and (c) the classical Mann Whitney test. LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine. (A/Netherlands// (H7N7) and A/mallard/Netherlands/ / (H7N)), indicating that the vaccine may also protect against variants of the H7N9 virus. Single- and a two-dose vaccination strategies both induced sterile immunity since virus could not be detected in the throat, trachea, and lungs after intratracheal challenge. The vaccine was highly effective as it protected ferrets against fever, weight loss, severe pneumonia, and death when challenged with H7N9. The protective efficacy appeared to be better in the two-dose strategy, although there were no significant differences between single- and doublevaccinated ferrets. In view of the limited production capacity during a pandemic outbreak, a single dose would be preferable 998 and we here show that, at least in ferrets, this strategy provides ample protection. An ever-difficult obstacle in preclinical research is extrapolation to the human situation. The better the human situation is mimicked the more likely the results will predict the outcome in humans. For influenza disease, mainly mice and ferrets have been used as a model. Although many vaccine efficacy studies are currently performed in mice, this model does not reflect influenza disease in humans and often requires adaptation of the challenge virus, which altogether impacts the extrapolation. Partly by the similar lung physiology and sialic acid receptor distribution in the respiratory tract, the ferret is a model that closely resembles human influenza pathogenesis. vol. no. may 6

9 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets Bronchioli ** ** Blood vessels Interstitium Alveoli * * * ** Damage score ** ** * * Acute inflammation score ** * Lymphocytic infiltrate score Placebo LAIV LAIV Figure 8 Detailed histopathological analysis. Pathology parameters were categorized according to their relation to damage (upper panel), acute inflammation (middle panel), and lymphocytic infiltration (lower panel), and these were assessed for the different lung compartments: bronchioli, blood vessels, interstitium, and alveoli. For each category, a final score was determined ranging from (no aberrations) to (severely affected). The category damage includes directly virus-induced effects, the category acute inflammation includes innate effects, and the category lymphocytic infiltrate includes mostly adaptive immune effects. The bronchi only showed minimal effects (not presented). Statistical analysis was performed using an adapted version of the Mann Whitney test for ordinal data with a small sample size. The severity of disease, however, is greatly influenced by the route of inoculation. We observed that when H7N9 was inoculated via the intranasal route in the safety study, a mild disease was induced with the only observations a mild fever and moderate weight loss which was in line with previous studies. 9,9 The lungs of the animals showed minor deviations, but nowhere near the viral pneumonia observed in humans. Previously Van den Brand et al. induced severe viral pneumonia with an HN infection in ferrets using the intratracheal route, and recently this method was also applied for H7N9. Despite the unnatural route of infection, this method induced disease similar to severe cases of HN- or H7N9-infected humans. Intratracheal inoculation is therefore the better model to study vaccine efficacy in relation to protection from disease. Thus far, the efficacy of H7N9 LAIVs has only been evaluated in the intranasal challenge ferret model.,6 This is mainly a model in which reduction of virus replication can be measured, which is important in the light of containing a pandemic. We here show, however, that in an H7N9 intratracheal challenge ferret model, H7N9 LAIV protects against severe pneumonia and death and also provides sterilizing immunity. Pathological examination days after challenge showed that at the macroscopic level on average, the percentage of severely affected lungs was reduced with 6% to almost normal appearance in the LAIV-vaccinated ferrets. In addition, relative lung weight, which is a measure for the presence of edema, was maintained at baseline in immunized animals. These observations cohere with the absence of severely impaired breathing and protection against death as a consequence of ARDS. For histopathological analysis, we categorized parameters associated with damage, acute inflammation and lymphocytic infiltration, which allowed distinguishing between primarily virus-induced effects, effects related to the innate and to the adaptive host response, respectively. LAIV vaccination significantly reduced bronchiolar and alveolar damage that was observed in placebovaccinated ferrets. Acute inflammation characterized by PMN cells Molecular Therapy vol. no. may 6 999

10 H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy and macrophages in the bronchioli and alveoli was also significantly reduced in both LAIV strategies. However, an increase in infiltrate of (large) lymphocytes around the bronchioli, blood vessels and in the interstitium, was observed for the single LAIV-vaccinated ferrets. LAIVs have been shown to induce cellular responses, 7,8 and therefore, the increased lymphocytic infiltrates may include specific T cells induced by LAIV vaccination; however, the observation of larger lymphocytes also indicates the presence of B cells, and also some plasma cells were found. Since the challenge was performed relatively shortly after vaccination ( days), the immune response is not yet in the memory phase, and lymphocytes have not yet fully contracted. 9 A high challenge dose ( 7 TCID ) in combination with the presence of a high number of lymphocytes may lead to the aberrant increased infiltrates, which may not have been induced when challenged with a lower dose or at a later stage. Hence, the increased infiltration may be a side effect of the model with respect to timing and dose of the challenge. The identity of the lymphocytes and whether they are indeed vaccine specific and why these effects are less prominent in boosted ferrets remain to be further elucidated. During the development of the H7N9 LAIV, the vaccine was passaged multiple times in eggs, which resulted in amino acid changes in HA (Asn--Asp and Asn-9-Asp) and NA (Thr--Ile) compared with the human wt isolate. These mutations could partly be restored after one passage on MDCK cells. The changes may result from host system dependent positive selection and apparently were required for optimizing growth in eggs since the final vaccine reassortant is characterized by high yield in eggs (> logeid ). This is supported by a study by Chen et al. in which they found that a reverse genetically derived LAIV candidate with the human H7N9 WT HA sequence grew poorly in eggs. 6 A number of eggadapted mutations had to be introduced into the H7 protein to generate LAIV candidates based on the A/Ann Arbor/6/6 MDV with high-yield characteristics. Interestingly, one of these candidates had the same two mutations in HA as the Len/7-based H7N9 LAIV virus (Asn--Asp and Asn-9-Asp) underlining that the mutations indeed are characteristic for optimized replication. We developed an H7N9 LAIV by classical reassortment that is attenuated and highly immunogenic in ferrets. The vaccine prevented virus replication and protected against severe pneumonia and death after an intratracheal challenge in ferrets. Based on these encouraging results, the vaccine candidate is currently under clinical evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ethical statement. The animal experiments were approved by the Committee on Animal Experimentation of the Antonie van Leeuwenhoek terrain (DEC-Alt, Bilthoven, the Netherlands) under permit numbers 88 and. Animal handling was carried out in accordance with relevant Dutch national legislation, including the 997 Dutch Act on Animal Experimentation. Animals were examined for general health on a daily basis. If animals show severe disease according to the defined end points prior to scheduled termination, they were euthanized by cardiac bleeding under anesthesia with ketamine ( mg/kg; Ketamine %, Alfasan BV, Woerden, NL) and medetomidine (. mg/kg; Sedator, Eurovet Animal Health BV, Bladel, NL). Viruses. H7N9 A/Anhui// influenza virus, an isolate from a human fatal case, was obtained from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control under the conditions of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) framework. Cold-adapted A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN) MDV was obtained from the influenza strain repository of the Institute of Experimental Medicine (Saint Petersburg, Russia). A/ Netherlands// (H7N7) and A/mallard/Netherlands// (H7N) were obtained from the repository of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control of the RIVM (Bilthoven, the Netherlands). Live attenuated influenza virus vaccine. The A/7/Anhui//6 (H7N9) live attenuated influenza virus vaccine strain was obtained by a classical genetic reassortment method as previously described. 6 Briefly, parental virus A/Anhui// (H7N9) and MDV A/Leningrad//7/7 (HN) were mixed in equal doses ( 6 EID ) and administered together into embryonated eggs followed by 8 hours of incubation at optimal temperature ( C). The resulting mixture of reassortants was subjected to several cloning passages by limiting dilutions at low temperature (6 C) in the presence of hyper immune serum against MDV. Subsequently, two additional cloning procedures at optimal temperature without antiserum were performed. The genome composition of multiple resulting reassortant viruses was determined by partial sequencing of all eight viral genes using universal primers as previously described. 7, After the reassortant with required genome composition was selected, full-genome sequencing and phenotypic analyses were performed. Generation of H6N9 reassortant virus. To avoid nonspecific inhibition of HA antibodies in the enzyme-linked lectin NA inhibition assay, RN9/-human A(H6N9) was generated as described above. For this purpose, nonpathogenic avian virus A/herring gull/sarma//6 (H6N) kindly provided by the Institute of Influenza (Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg, Russia) and vaccine strain A/7/ Anhui//6 (H7N9) were used as donor for HA and NA, respectively. By means of low temperature selection and selection in the presence of rat anti-sera against А/7/mallard/Netherlands//9 (H7N) and А/7/ Solomon Islands/6/9 (HN) viruses, reassortant strain of A(H6N9) subtype on the cold-adapted master donor strain backbone was obtained. The inheritance of HA and NA from A/herring gull/sarma//6 (H6N) and A/7/Anhui//6 (H7N9) strains, respectively, was confirmed by HAI test and/or RT-PCR analysis. Phenotypic and genetic analysis. The ts and ca phenotypes of parental and reassortant viruses were assessed by evaluating viral replication in eggs at permissive ( C) and restrictive temperatures (6, 7, 8, 9 and C). Eggs were incubated for 8 hours for temperatures C and 6 days for 6 C before detection of virus by hemagglutination assay. Genetic analysis of reassortant viruses was performed either by partial- or full-genome sequencing using a BigDye Terminator v. cycle sequencing kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and a xl Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems) according to the instructions of the manufacturer. Ferrets and handling. Female ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), aged 6 months were obtained from Schimmel B.V. (Uddel, The Netherlands). Ferrets were confirmed to be negative for previous infection with circulating influenza virus and Aleutian disease. A temperature transponder (DST micro T, Star-Oddi, Gardabaer, Iceland) was implanted intra-abdominally days prior to commencement of the experiment, which recorded the temperature every minutes. For this purpose, sevoflurane (Sevorane, Aesica Queenborough Ltd, Kent, UK) was used as an anesthetic and buprenorphine (Buprecare, AST Farma BV, Oudewater, NL,. ml subcutaneously) as a post-operative analgesic. Blood sampling, immunizations, swabs, and challenge were performed under anesthesia by ketamine ( mg/ kg) and medetomidine (. mg/kg), and the anesthesia was antagonized with atipamezole (. mg/kg). After intranasal vaccination and infection or intratracheal challenge, ferrets were antagonized after half an hour to avoid sneezing and coughing reflexes. All animals had ad libitum access to pelleted standard ferret food and tap water. Safety study in ferrets. Three groups of six ferrets were placed in BSL- isolators and were intranasally infected with either WT H7N9, HN vol. no. may 6

11 The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy H7N9 LAIV Is Immunogenic and Effective in Ferrets MDV, and H7N9 LAIV at a dose of 7 TCID or EID in. ml. Animals were weighed every other day, and clinical signs were recorded daily. Nose and throat swabs were taken every other day until days post infection. Swabs were vortexed in -ml transport medium (% sucrose (Sigma, Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands),. μg/ml fungizone (Gibco, Bleiswijk, the Netherlands), U/ml penicillin, μg/ml streptomycin (Invitrogen, Bleiswijk, the Netherlands), μg/ml gentamicin (Sigma) in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS, Gibco) and were stored at less than 7 C until further virological analysis. Four days after infection, three animals of each group were sacrificed, and gross pathology was performed on the lungs. Longitudinal sections of the right and accessory lung lobes, the middle section of the trachea, nasal turbinates, a cross section of the spleen, a cross section of the cerebrum and cerebellum, the OB, and cross sections of the intestine were isolated and stored at less than 7 C for further virological analysis. Fourteen days post infection (d.p.i.), the remaining three animals were sacrificed, and gross pathology was performed on the lungs. Immunization and challenge of ferrets. Groups of six ferrets were intranasally vaccinated (. ml) twice on days and with a placebo or with H7N9 LAIV or once only on day with H7N9 LAIV. Groups were housed in open pens in different animal rooms to avoid transmission of the LAIV between the groups. Serum samples were collected at regular time intervals (on days,,, 7, and ) and stored at C for serological analysis. Thirty-eight days after start of the study, the animals were challenged intratracheally with WT influenza A/Anhui// (H7N9) with a virus load of 7 TCID in ml. This dose was obtained from a previously performed dose-titration infection experiment and resulted in the most consistent induction of lung pathology and disease. Prior to challenge and and days after challenge, throat swabs were taken and ferrets were weighed. Ferrets were scored twice daily for the clinical parameters activity and impaired breathing according to the following scoring system: = active; = active when stimulated; = inactive, and = lethargic and = normal breathing; = fast breathing, and = heavy and stomach breathing, respectively. On day, three days after challenge, animals were sacrificed by cardiac bleeding. The timing of section was based on a previous infection study in which some animals died between and days after infection when a dose of 7 TCID was administered. Scheduling section at a later time point than days after challenge would imply that some animals would die prior to scheduled section. This difference in timing would impair comparison of the pathological results. During section, the trachea was clamped off after inhalation, and the inflated lungs were isolated, examined for gross pathology, and photographed. The middle section of the trachea (~ cm) and a section of the three right lung lobes and the accessory lobe along the proximodistal axis (~ cm by mm) were isolated and stored at 7 C for virological analysis. The left cranial and caudal lung lobes were fixed in % buffered formalin for histopathological analysis. Serological analysis. HAI titers in ferret sera were determined according to standard methods with a modification specifically published for H7N9 antibody responses. Briefly, sera were inactivated ( minutes at 6 C), treated with receptor destroying enzyme (Denka-Seiken, Tokyo, Japan), twofold serially diluted, and tested in duplicate against four hemagglutinating units (HAUs) of H7N9 WT or H7N9 LAIV using % horse red blood cells. VN titers were determined as described elsewhere. Briefly, sera were heat inactivated for minutes at 6 C and twofold serially diluted in virus growth medium (MEM medium (Gibco, 9) containing: μg/ml gentamycin (Sigma),. M Tricin (Sigma) and μg/ml L--Tosylamide- -phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone (TPCK)-treated trypsin (Sigma)) in a 96-well plate using a starting dilution of :8. An equal volume of virus at a concentration of TCID was added to each well. Wells containing only medium or medium with only virus served as a cell viability and negative control, respectively. In addition, a back titration of the virus stock used for incubation with the serum dilutions was prepared by ½log serial dilutions. All the preparations were subsequently incubated for hours at 7 C. Following, the virus-serum mixture, the controls and the backtitration samples were transferred to 96-well plates containing a confluent monolayer of MDCK cells and incubated for another hours at 7 C, % CO after which the medium was refreshed. Plates were incubated until the back-titration plate reached cytopathic effect (CPE) at a titer of TCID ( days). In the neuraminidase inhibition assay, homologous H7N9 virus could not be used since antibodies directed against H7 could impede NA activity through sterical hindrance. To resolve this issue, the RN9/- human A(H6N9) reassortant, which contains an HA against which ferrets are naïve was prepared as described above. The assay was performed as described previously. Briefly, 96-well plates (Immulon HB, Thermo Scientific, Bleiswijk, the Netherlands) were coated overnight with μl of μg/ml fetuin (Sigma). Twofold serial dilutions of serum were prepared in duplicates and incubated with a RN9/-human A(H6N9) dilution of which the neuraminidase activity was predetermined at OD = after -hour incubation at 7 C. Following this, μl of the virus/serum dilutions were transferred to the fetuin-coated wells. After hours of incubation at 7 C, the plates were washed with PBS/Tween (.%), supplemented with μl of peroxidase-labeled peanut lectin (. μg/ml; Sigma), incubated for hour at 7 C, and washed again. Peroxidase substrate (TMB, μl) was added, and the reaction was stopped after minutes with μl of M sulfuric acid. The OD was read using the EL88, Bio-Tek Instruments, Winooski, VT. The NI titer was determined from the last dilution with an OD (OD of the virus control SD). Virus quantification. Lungs were collected in lysing A matrix tubes ( ml, MP Biomedicals, Santa Ana, CA), homogenized using a FastPrep homogenizer (MP Biomedicals) and clarified by low speed centrifugation. Transport medium from the swabs was used directly. Virus titers were determined by end-point titration on MDCK cells as previously described. In short, MDCK cells were seeded in 96-well plates at a density of cells/well and incubated at 7 C until 9 % confluence. The cells were inoculated in sextuplets with μl in virus growth medium (MEM medium (Gibco, 9) containing: μg/ml gentamycin (Sigma),. M Tricin (Sigma) and μg/ml TPCK-treated trypsin (Sigma)) and diluted fivefold serially. After 6 days of incubation at 7 C, wells were scored for CPEs. The TCID titer was determined by the Reed and Muench method. 6 Pathology. After fixation, the left cranial and caudal lung lobes were embedded in paraffin. Sections were cut at a thickness of μm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Slides were examined microscopically with an objective of or. For evaluation of the infection pathology, three pathology categories were defined that included parameters indicating damage of the epithelial lining, acute inflammation, or lymphocytic infiltration. Damage-related parameters included hypertrophy, hyperplasia, flattened or pseudo squamous, epithelia, necrosis and denudation of bronchi(oli) epithelium, hyperemia of septa, and alveolar emphysema and hemorrhages. Acute inflammatory related parameters included (peri)bronchi(oli)tis, interstitial infiltrate, alveolitis, and (peri) vasculitis characterized by PMN cells and macrophages. Lymphocytic infiltrate related parameters included lymphocytes, lymphoblasts, and plasma cells. These categories were semiquantitatively scored on a scale of (no aberrations) to (severe damage) resulting in three scores: one for damage, one for acute inflammation, and one for lymphocytic infiltrate each for the bronchi(oli), interstitium, alveoli, and blood vessels. Both lung lobes were completely examined, and at least six microscopic fields were scored for each lobe. The affected percentage lung surface was estimated with an objective of by examining the whole lung lobe. Finally, an end score was determined by taking into account the severity and percentage of tissue affected of the various parameters. Microscopic slides were randomized and scored blindly. Molecular Therapy vol. no. may 6