Systems Vaccinology Identifies an Early Innate Immune Signature as a Correlate of Antibody Responses to the Ebola Vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV

Rechtien, Anne; Richert, Laura; Lorenzo, Hadrien; Martrus, Gloria; Hejblum, Boris; Dahlke, Christine; Kasonta, Rahel; Zinser, Madeleine; Stubbe, Hans; Matschl, Urte; Lohse, Ansgar; Krähling, Verena; Eickmann, Markus; Becker, Stephan; Thiébaut, Rodolphe; Altfeld, Marcus; Addo, Marylyn

Predicting vaccine efficacy remains a challenge. We used a systems vaccinology approach to identify early innate immune correlates of antibody induction in humans receiving the Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV. Blood samples from days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 were analyzed for changes in cytokine levels, innate immune cell subsets, and gene expression. Integrative statistical analyses with cross-validation identified a signature of 5 early innate markers correlating with antibody titers on day 28 and beyond. Among those, IP-10 on day 3 and MFI of CXCR6 on NK cells on day 1 were independent correlates. Consistently, we found an early gene expression signature linked to IP-10. This comprehensive characterization of early innate immune responses to the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine in humans revealed immune signatures linked to IP-10. These results suggest correlates of vaccine-induced antibody induction and provide a rationale to explore strategies for augmenting the effectiveness of vaccines through manipulation of IP-10.