Review Calls for Research on Topical Immunomodulators for Cutaneous Herpes Simplex Virus
A Clinical Microbiology Reviews article calls for more research on topical immunomodulators for cutaneous herpes simplex virus. It could elicit virus-specific adaptive immunity at herpetic skin lesions.
An article published in Clinical Microbiology Reviews calls for increased research and clinical trials on the use of topical immunomodulatory molecules to treat cutaneous herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease and recurrences. The authors note that antivirals play important roles in restricting viral diseases, but they act on a relatively limited number of viruses and occasionally display partial effectiveness in some tissues or against escape variants.
Although vaccination remains the most cost-effective approach for preventing microbial diseases, developing prophylactic or therapeutic solutions for pathogens such as HSV that effectively reduce their clinical manifestations in the skin has proven exceptionally challenging despite extensive research. A less explored approach for tackling HSV skin infection involves using topical immunomodulatory molecules to potentiate the host's innate antiviral immune responses. When applied directly to herpetic skin lesions where viral antigen is present, this strategy has the potential to elicit virus-specific adaptive immunity.
Based on currently available data, the authors foresee substantial potential for this approach in addressing HSV skin infections, along with additional prospects to advance understanding of skin biology and apply relevant new findings to other dermatological conditions. However, due to the limited number of case studies evaluating this method and its safety profile, particularly in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women, further research is crucial, especially to assess the effects of immunomodulators in these vulnerable populations.
The article also revisits and discusses antivirals and vaccine candidates against HSVs. The authors are listed as inventors in patents related to potential vaccines against herpes simplex viruses and antivirals against HSV of natural origin, and are founders and shareholders of Biothervax SpA, a spin-off derived from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile focused on vaccines and treatments for respiratory viruses.