51
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Fox CB, Orr MT, Van Hoeven N, Parker SC, Mikasa TJT, Phan T, Beebe EA, Nana GI, Joshi SW, Tomai MA, Elvecrog J, Fouts TR, Reed SG. Adsorption of a synthetic TLR7/8 ligand to aluminum oxyhydroxide for enhanced vaccine adjuvant activity: A formulation approach. J Control Release 2016; 244:98-107. [PMID: 27847326 PMCID: PMC5176129 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
For nearly a century, aluminum salts have been the most widely used vaccine adjuvant formulation, and have thus established a history of safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, for extremely challenging disease targets such as tuberculosis or HIV, the adjuvant activity of aluminum salts may not be potent enough to achieve protective efficacy. Adsorption of TLR ligands to aluminum salts facilitates enhanced adjuvant activity, such as in the human papilloma virus vaccine Cervarix®. However, some TLR ligands such as TLR7/8 agonist imidazoquinolines do not efficiently adsorb to aluminum salts. The present report describes a formulation approach to solving this challenge by developing a lipid-based nanosuspension of a synthetic TLR7/8 ligand (3M-052) that facilitates adsorption to aluminum oxyhydroxide via the structural properties of the helper lipid employed. In immunized mice, the aluminum oxyhydroxide-adsorbed formulation of 3M-052 enhanced antibody and TH1-type cellular immune responses to vaccine antigens for tuberculosis and HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Fox
- IDRI, 1616 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102, USA; Dept of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
| | - Mark T Orr
- IDRI, 1616 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102, USA; Dept of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | | | | | | | - Tony Phan
- IDRI, 1616 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mark A Tomai
- 3M Drug Delivery Systems, 3M Center, 275-3E-10, St. Paul, MN 55144, USA
| | - James Elvecrog
- 3M Drug Delivery Systems, 3M Center, 275-3E-10, St. Paul, MN 55144, USA
| | | | - Steven G Reed
- IDRI, 1616 Eastlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98102, USA; Dept of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
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52
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Janitzek CM, Matondo S, Thrane S, Nielsen MA, Kavishe R, Mwakalinga SB, Theander TG, Salanti A, Sander AF. Bacterial superglue generates a full-length circumsporozoite protein virus-like particle vaccine capable of inducing high and durable antibody responses. Malar J 2016; 15:545. [PMID: 27825348 PMCID: PMC5101663 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1574-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, continues to have a devastating impact on global health, emphasizing the great need for a malaria vaccine. The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is an attractive target for a malaria vaccine, and forms a major component of RTS,S, the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine. The clinical efficacy of RTS,S has been moderate, yet has demonstrated the viability of a CSP-based malaria vaccine. In this study, a vaccine comprised of the full-length CSP antigen presented on a virus-like particle (VLP) is produced using a split-intein conjugation system (SpyTag/SpyCatcher) and the immunogenicity is tested in mice. METHODS Full-length 3d7 CSP protein was genetically fused at the C-terminus to SpyCatcher. The CSP-SpyCatcher antigen was then covalently attached (via the SpyTag/SpyCatcher interaction) to Acinetobacter phage AP205 VLPs which were modified to display one SpyTag per VLP subunit. To evaluate the VLP-display effect, the immunogenicity of the VLP vaccine was tested in mice and compared to a control vaccine containing AP205 VLPs plus unconjugated CSP. RESULTS Full-length CSP was conjugated at high density (an average of 112 CSP molecules per VLP) to AP205 SpyTag-VLPs. Vaccination of mice with the CSP Spy-VLP vaccine resulted in significantly increased antibody titres over a course of 7 months as compared to the control group (2.6-fold higher at 7 months after immunization). Furthermore, the CSP Spy-VLP vaccine appears to stimulate production of IgG2a antibodies, which has been linked with a more efficient clearing of intracellular parasite infection. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that the high-density display of CSP on SpyTag-VLPs, significantly increases the level and quality of the vaccine-induced humoral response, compared to a control vaccine consisting of soluble CSP plus AP205 VLPs. The SpyTag-VLP platform utilized in this study constitutes a versatile and rapid method to develop highly immunogenic vaccines. It might serve as a generic tool for the cost-effective development of effective VLP-vaccines, e.g., against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph M Janitzek
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sungwa Matondo
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Susan Thrane
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten A Nielsen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Reginald Kavishe
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Steve B Mwakalinga
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo), Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Thor G Theander
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ali Salanti
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Adam F Sander
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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53
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Chaudhury S, Ockenhouse CF, Regules JA, Dutta S, Wallqvist A, Jongert E, Waters NC, Lemiale F, Bergmann-Leitner E. The biological function of antibodies induced by the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine candidate is determined by their fine specificity. Malar J 2016; 15:301. [PMID: 27245446 PMCID: PMC4886414 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Recent vaccine studies have shown that the magnitude of an antibody response is often insufficient to explain efficacy, suggesting that characteristics regarding the quality of the antibody response, such as its fine specificity and functional activity, may play a major role in protection. Previous studies of the lead malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, have shown that circumsporozoite protein (CSP)-specific antibodies and CD4+ T cell responses are associated with protection, however the role of fine specificity and biological function of CSP-specific antibodies remains to be elucidated. Here, the relationship between fine specificity, opsonization-dependent phagocytic activity and protection in RTS,S-induced antibodies is explored. Methods A new method for measuring the phagocytic activity mediated by CSP-specific antibodies in THP-1 cells is presented and applied to samples from a recently completed phase 2 RTS,S/AS01 clinical trial. The fine specificity of the antibody response was assessed using ELISA against three antigen constructs of CSP: the central repeat region, the C-terminal domain and the full-length protein. A multi-parameter analysis of phagocytic activity and fine-specificity data was carried out to identify potential correlates of protection in RTS,S. Results Results from the newly developed assay revealed that serum samples from RTS,S recipients displayed a wide range of robust and repeatable phagocytic activity. Phagocytic activity was correlated with full-length CSP and C-terminal specific antibody titres, but not to repeat region antibody titres, suggesting that phagocytic activity is primarily driven by C-terminal antibodies. Although no significant difference in overall phagocytic activity was observed with respect to protection, phagocytic activity expressed as ‘opsonization index’, a relative measure that normalizes phagocytic activity with CS antibody titres, was found to be significantly lower in protected subjects than non-protected subjects. Conclusions Opsonization index was identified as a surrogate marker of protection induced by the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine and determined how antibody fine specificity is linked to opsonization activity. These findings suggest that the role of opsonization in protection in the RTS,S vaccine may be more complex than previously thought, and demonstrate how integrating multiple immune measures can provide insight into underlying mechanisms of immunity and protection. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1348-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhartha Chaudhury
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | | | - Jason A Regules
- Department of Clinical Research, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Sheetij Dutta
- Malaria Vaccine Branch, U.S. Military Malaria Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, 3W53, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | - Anders Wallqvist
- Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | | | - Norman C Waters
- Malaria Vaccine Branch, U.S. Military Malaria Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, 3W53, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | | | - Elke Bergmann-Leitner
- Malaria Vaccine Branch, U.S. Military Malaria Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, 3W53, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA.
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54
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Khan F, Porter M, Schwenk R, DeBot M, Saudan P, Dutta S. Head-to-Head Comparison of Soluble vs. Qβ VLP Circumsporozoite Protein Vaccines Reveals Selective Enhancement of NANP Repeat Responses. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142035. [PMID: 26571021 PMCID: PMC4646581 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum is a promising malaria vaccine target. RTS,S, the most advanced malaria vaccine candidate consists of the central NANP repeat and carboxy-terminal region of CSP displayed on a hepatitis B virus-like particle (VLP). To build upon the success of RTS,S, we produced a near full-length Plasmodium falciparum CSP that also includes the conserved amino-terminal region of CSP. We recently showed that this soluble CSP, combined with a synthetic Toll-like-receptor-4 (TLR4) agonist in stable oil-in-water emulsion (GLA/SE), induces a potent and protective immune response in mice against transgenic parasite challenge. Here we have investigated whether the immunogenicity of soluble CSP could be further augmented by presentation on a VLP. Bacteriophage Qβ VLPs can be readily produced in E.coli, they have a diameter of 25 nm and contain packaged E. coli RNA which serves as a built in adjuvant through the activation of TLR7/8. CSP was chemically conjugated to Qβ and the CSP-Qβ vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy were compared to adjuvanted soluble CSP in the C57Bl/6 mouse model. When formulated with adjuvants lacking a TLR4 agonist (Alum, SE and Montanide) the Qβ-CSP induced higher anti-NANP repeat titers, higher levels of cytophilic IgG2b/c antibodies and a trend towards higher protection against transgenic parasite challenge as compared to soluble CSP formulated in the same adjuvant. The VLP and soluble CSP immunogenicity difference was most pronounced at low antigen dose, and within the CSP molecule, the titers against the NANP repeats were preferentially enhanced by Qβ presentation. While a TLR4 agonist enhanced the immunogenicity of soluble CSP to levels comparable to the VLP vaccine, the TLR4 agonist did not further improve the immunogenicity of the Qβ-CSP vaccine. The data presented here pave the way for further improvement in the Qβ conjugation chemistry and evaluation of both the Qβ-CSP and soluble CSP vaccines in the non-human primate model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhat Khan
- Structural Vaccinology Laboratory, Malaria Vaccine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Mike Porter
- Structural Vaccinology Laboratory, Malaria Vaccine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Robert Schwenk
- Structural Vaccinology Laboratory, Malaria Vaccine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Margot DeBot
- Structural Vaccinology Laboratory, Malaria Vaccine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Philippe Saudan
- Cytos Biotechnology, Wagistrasse 25, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sheetij Dutta
- Structural Vaccinology Laboratory, Malaria Vaccine Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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55
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Longley RJ, Hill AVS, Spencer AJ. Malaria vaccines: identifying Plasmodium falciparum liver-stage targets. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:965. [PMID: 26441899 PMCID: PMC4569888 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of a highly efficacious and durable vaccine for malaria remains a top priority for global health researchers. Despite the huge rise in recognition of malaria as a global health problem and the concurrent rise in funding over the past 10–15 years, malaria continues to remain a widespread burden. The evidence of increasing resistance to anti-malarial drugs and insecticides is a growing concern. Hence, an efficacious and durable preventative vaccine for malaria is urgently needed. Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective tools and have successfully been used in the prevention and control of many diseases, however, the development of a vaccine for the Plasmodium parasite has proved difficult. Given the early success of whole sporozoite mosquito-bite delivered vaccination strategies, we know that a vaccine for malaria is an achievable goal, with sub-unit vaccines holding great promise as they are simple and cheap to both manufacture and deploy. However a major difficulty in development of sub-unit vaccines lies within choosing the appropriate antigenic target from the 5000 or so genes expressed by the parasite. Given the liver-stage of malaria represents a bottle-neck in the parasite’s life cycle, there is widespread agreement that a multi-component sub-unit malaria vaccine should preferably contain a liver-stage target. In this article we review progress in identifying and screening Plasmodium falciparum liver-stage targets for use in a malaria vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea J Longley
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Adrian V S Hill
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Alexandra J Spencer
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
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56
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Patra KP, Li F, Carter D, Gregory JA, Baga S, Reed SG, Mayfield SP, Vinetz JM. Alga-produced malaria transmission-blocking vaccine candidate Pfs25 formulated with a human use-compatible potent adjuvant induces high-affinity antibodies that block Plasmodium falciparum infection of mosquitoes. Infect Immun 2015; 83:1799-808. [PMID: 25690099 PMCID: PMC4399074 DOI: 10.1128/iai.02980-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
A vaccine to prevent the transmission of malaria parasites from infected humans to mosquitoes is an important component for the elimination of malaria in the 21st century, yet it remains neglected as a priority of malaria vaccine development. The lead candidate for Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine development, Pfs25, is a sexual stage surface protein that has been produced for vaccine testing in a variety of heterologous expression systems. Any realistic malaria vaccine will need to optimize proper folding balanced against cost of production, yield, and potentially reactogenic contaminants. Here Chlamydomonas reinhardtii microalga-produced recombinant Pfs25 protein was formulated with four different human-compatible adjuvants (alum, Toll-like receptor 4 [TLR-4] agonist glucopyranosal lipid A [GLA] plus alum, squalene-oil-in-water emulsion, and GLA plus squalene-oil-in-water emulsion) and compared for their ability to induce malaria transmission-blocking antibodies. Alga-produced recombinant Pfs25 plus GLA plus squalene-oil-in-water adjuvant induced the highest titer and avidity in IgG antibodies, measured using alga-produced recombinant Pfs25 as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen. These antibodies specifically reacted with the surface of P. falciparum macrogametes and zygotes and effectively prevented parasites from developing within the mosquito vector in standard membrane feeding assays. Alga-produced Pfs25 in combination with a human-compatible adjuvant composed of a TLR-4 agonist in a squalene-oil-in-water emulsion is an attractive new vaccine candidate that merits head-to-head comparison with other modalities of vaccine production and administration.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan/blood
- Antibody Affinity
- Chlamydomonas reinhardtii/genetics
- Chlamydomonas reinhardtii/metabolism
- Culicidae/parasitology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Female
- Humans
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Malaria Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Malaria Vaccines/genetics
- Malaria Vaccines/immunology
- Malaria Vaccines/isolation & purification
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Plasmodium falciparum/immunology
- Plasmodium falciparum/isolation & purification
- Protozoan Proteins/genetics
- Protozoan Proteins/immunology
- Protozoan Proteins/isolation & purification
- Treatment Outcome
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Subunit/genetics
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/isolation & purification
- Vaccines, Synthetic/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Synthetic/genetics
- Vaccines, Synthetic/immunology
- Vaccines, Synthetic/isolation & purification
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailash P Patra
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Fengwu Li
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Darrick Carter
- Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - James A Gregory
- Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Sheyenne Baga
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Steven G Reed
- Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Stephen P Mayfield
- Division of Biological Science and the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Joseph M Vinetz
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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