Description:
This synthetic flu vaccine, which uses gold nanoparticles as the platform, does not need to be adapted annually, like existing influenza vaccines. Furthermore, it has the potential to be a universal vaccine.
Influenza vaccines have to be adapted every flu season to follow the shifts of the two antigenic membrane proteins expressed on influenza A viruses: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). The influenza A virus does have a stable membrane protein, M2e, but it is small and poorly immunogenic compared to HA and NA. Texas Tech University scientists discovered that conjugating M2e to the surface of synthesized gold nanoparticles produces a formulation with an immune response to M2e. Because the M2e protein doesn't mutate, this vaccine would not need to be adapted.
The gold nanoparticles make an excellent antigen carrier because they are inert and don't provoke competing carrier-directed antibody response like other biological carriers. Vaccine manufacturers can manipulate the size of the gold nanoparticles to mimic virus particles of different types, allowing for vaccines for other infectious agents or autoimmune diseases. Because the vaccine's component parts are synthetic, they can be mass-produced much faster and with greater accuracy than vaccines created using biological processes. This would allow for a rapid response to a biological threat or pandemic. This vaccine also has a logistical advantage in delivery, since it has the potential to be self-administered as nasal drops and does not require trained personnel for administration.
Influenza Vaccine Provides Complete Protection From Lethal Dose of H1N1 Flu
Scientists tested the vaccine by administering it intranasally to mice. The mice were then injected with a lethal dose of an H1N1 virus strain. The combination of gold nanoparticles and M2e alone provoked an immune response and provided the mice partial protection against the flu. By adding a cytosine-guanine rich oligonucleotide (CpG) adjuvant, Texas Tech researchers were able to create a powerful flu vaccine that provided complete protection against the H1N1 flu strain. The flu strain used to challenge the mice's immunity has a different M2e sequence from the M2e sequence used for immunization, making it a stringent test of the vaccine's efficacy. These positive results prove gold nanoparticles' effectiveness as a vaccine platform.
Applications
• Vaccine development and testing
• Vaccine manufacturers
• Vaccine delivery companies
• Vaccines against infectious agents, cancer, autoimmune diseases
Advantages
• Potential to develop a universal flu vaccine, which would revolutionize the vaccine market
• Gold nanoparticles act as adjuvant for vaccines other than influenza, giving a broad market appeal
Inventor: Dr. Harvinder is an assistant professor of chemical engineering. He received his Ph.D from Georgia Institute of Technology and post doctoral training in microbiology and immunology at Emory University. His areas of study include drug delivery, vaccines, immunology, and nanomedicine. Dr. Gill received an R21 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop gold nanoparticles as a platform for flu vaccine design and delivery.