Promising Preclinical Results of a Fully Synthetic Vaccine Engineered by Artificial Cell Technology Published in Journal vaccination
New Haven, Connecticut., January 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists at Artificial Cell Technology (ACT) have developed a fully synthetic microparticle vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This vaccine induces a protective immune response in mice while at the same time reducing lung inflammation after exposure to the virus.New results of preclinical study published in journal vaccination.
A major risk of RSV infection is the possibility of severe pulmonary inflammation characterized by bronchiolitis and pneumonia. More than 200,000 children and the elderly are hospitalized each year. usa for these serious complications. Efforts to develop an RSV vaccine have been hampered by concerns over vaccine-enhanced respiratory disease (VERD). It is a condition that occurs when vaccinated individuals infected with the virus have worse lung inflammation than unvaccinated people. In the 1960s, clinical trials of the formalin-inactivated (FI-RSV) vaccine were discontinued because more children were hospitalized after RSV infection compared to unvaccinated children. Since then, there has been no licensed RSV vaccine.
“An effective RSV vaccine should protect against infection without causing excessive inflammation in the host. Jeff Powell, Ph.D., Vice President, Immunology, ACT. He and his colleagues used ACT’s patented layer-by-layer (LbL) nanofilm technology to add molecules known as his TLR2 ligands that influence the body’s inflammatory immune response. , modified synthetic RSV microparticle vaccine.
When tested in mice, the results of the modified vaccine were astonishing. Compared to the original version, it produced a stronger immune response (evidenced by antibody tests), reduced inflammation in the lungs (as measured by white blood cells called eosinophils), and was 30 times less dosed than the original vaccine. provided protection against RSV infection. .
“We showed that very simple modifications can induce the immune system’s response to vaccines,” Powell said.
Usage
Two major proteins on the surface of the RSV virus are involved in infection. An adhesive G protein (which attaches to human cells) and a fusion F protein (which opens and delivers the viral payload). Infection is prevented if any of these proteins are blocked by a vaccine-induced immune response. ACT microparticle vaccines carry synthetic antigens of G proteins to elicit host antibodies that block viral attachment to host target cells. (Other RSV vaccines in late-stage development focus on the viral F protein.) Although this adaptive (virus-specific) immune response is sufficient to reduce viral infection, natural (non-specific) immunity The response can still trigger an inflammatory Th2 type. Mechanisms thought to be part of the cause of her VERD in vaccinated children in the 1960s.
Powell and his colleagues sought to increase the potency of G-protein vaccines while reducing potentially harmful Th2-type inflammatory responses. To do this, they added his TLR2 ligand to the vaccine to properly engage the innate response and redirect the adaptive response away from his Th2 type and towards his less inflammatory Th1 type. . To test their hypothesis that modified microparticles protect the host from both infection and excessive inflammation, the ACT team tested one of two microparticle candidates (one with and one without TLR2 ligand) in mice. and mice were infected with RSV.
Mice that received the modified vaccine showed significantly higher levels of G-specific antibodies. Complete protection against viral infection at a dose 30 times lower than the original unmodified vaccine. Lung cytokine/chemokine content shifts from an inflammatory Th2 profile to a protective Th1 profile. Significant reduction in pulmonary eosinophil infiltration after challenge.
“Too often, the focus is solely on eliciting a pathogen-specific immune response, without considering that an unwanted inflammatory response can complicate host problems.” Although companies are nearing approval of an RSV vaccine focused on the viral fusion (F) protein, there is a need for a better understanding of post-infection immunity after vaccination in respiratory disease. I hope it will be a guide. Origin.”
Collaborative research with Dr. ACT. Ralph Tripp of University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1R43AI092924-01) awarded to ACT. This paper appears in Volume 10, Issue 12 of the Journal. vaccination
Artificial Cell Technology: Innovative Vaccine Design
Artificial Cell Technologies, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company that uses a proprietary layer-by-layer (LbL) technique to deposit ultra-thin polypeptide nanofilms onto calcium carbonate cores to We are designing a fully synthetic vaccine. The fully synthetic manufacturing platform does not utilize biological production systems, thus reducing the potential for contaminants and simplifying production. ACT’s efficient technology allows scientists to rapidly design, modify and manufacture vaccines in a fraction of the space and time required by traditional platforms.
With a mission to revolutionize the way vaccines are designed, ACT’s technology delivers what the CEO delivers. Donald Masters, Ph.D., calls a ‘plug and play approach’ to designing vaccines. “Whatever the target, the process is largely the same. From vaccine to vaccine, the core of the microparticle and the multilayer membrane remain the same. The only difference is the antigenic peptides that we add to the outermost layer of the film.”
In addition to its RSV vaccine candidate, the company’s product pipeline also includes a malaria vaccine candidate that recently completed a Phase 1a clinical evaluation, demonstrating the platform’s safety and immunogenicity in adult volunteers. . ACT is now preparing for the phase 1b A controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) clinical trial of a malaria vaccine.
ACT’s headquarters and laboratory facilities are New Haven, ConnecticutFor more information, please visit the following website: https://artificialcelltech.com/
SOURCE Artificial Cell Tech Co., Ltd.