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Darriba ML, Cerutti ML, Bruno L, Cassataro J, Pasquevich KA. Stability Studies of the Vaccine Adjuvant U-Omp19. J Pharm Sci 2020; 110:707-718. [PMID: 33058898 PMCID: PMC7815325 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Unlipidated outer membrane protein 19 (U-Omp19) is a novel mucosal adjuvant in preclinical development to be used in vaccine formulations. U-Omp19 holds two main properties, it is capable of inhibiting gastrointestinal and lysosomal peptidases, increasing the amount of co-administered antigen that reaches the immune inductive sites and its half-life inside cells, and it is able to stimulate antigen presenting cells in vivo. These activities enable U-Omp19 to enhance the adaptive immune response to co-administrated antigens. To characterize the stability of U-Omp19 we have performed an extensive analysis of its physicochemical and biological properties in a 3-year long-term stability study, and under potentially damaging freeze-thawing and lyophilization stress processes. Results revealed that U-Omp19 retains its full protease inhibitor activity, its monomeric state and its secondary structure even when stored in solution for 36 months or after multiple freeze-thawing cycles. Non-enzymatic hydrolysis resulted the major degradation pathway for storage in solution at 4 °C or room temperature which can be abrogated by lyophilization yet increasing protein tendency to form aggregates. This information will play a key role in the development of a stable formulation of U-Omp19, allowing an extended shelf-life during manufacturing, storage, and shipping of a future vaccine containing this pioneering adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Laura Darriba
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (UNSAM-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María L Cerutti
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Laura Bruno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (UNSAM-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juliana Cassataro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (UNSAM-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Karina A Pasquevich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (UNSAM-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Forster AH, Witham K, Depelsenaire ACI, Veitch M, Wells JW, Wheatley A, Pryor M, Lickliter JD, Francis B, Rockman S, Bodle J, Treasure P, Hickling J, Fernando GJP. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of influenza vaccination with a high-density microarray patch: Results from a randomized, controlled phase I clinical trial. PLoS Med 2020; 17:e1003024. [PMID: 32181756 PMCID: PMC7077342 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Vaxxas high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) consists of a high density of microprojections coated with vaccine for delivery into the skin. Microarray patches (MAPs) offer the possibility of improved vaccine thermostability as well as the potential to be safer, more acceptable, easier to use, and more cost-effective for the administration of vaccines than injection by needle and syringe (N&S). Here, we report a phase I trial using the Vaxxas HD-MAP to deliver a monovalent influenza vaccine that was to the best of our knowledge the first clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of lower doses of influenza vaccine delivered by MAPs. METHODS AND FINDINGS HD-MAPs were coated with a monovalent, split inactivated influenza virus vaccine containing A/Singapore/GP1908/2015 H1N1 haemagglutinin (HA). Between February 2018 and March 2018, 60 healthy adults (age 18-35 years) in Melbourne, Australia were enrolled into part A of the study and vaccinated with either: HD-MAPs delivering 15 μg of A/Singapore/GP1908/2015 H1N1 HA antigen (A-Sing) to the volar forearm (FA); uncoated HD-MAPs; intramuscular (IM) injection of commercially available quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) containing A/Singapore/GP1908/2015 H1N1 HA (15 μg/dose); or IM injection of H1N1 HA antigen (15 μg/dose). After 22 days' follow-up and assessment of the safety data, a further 150 healthy adults were enrolled and randomly assigned to 1 of 9 treatment groups. Participants (20 per group) were vaccinated with HD-MAPs delivering doses of 15, 10, 5, 2.5, or 0 μg of HA to the FA or 15 μg HA to the upper arm (UA), or IM injection of QIV. The primary objectives of the study were safety and tolerability. Secondary objectives were to assess the immunogenicity of the influenza vaccine delivered by HD-MAP. Primary and secondary objectives were assessed for up to 60 days post-vaccination. Clinical staff and participants were blind as to which HD-MAP treatment was administered and to administration of IM-QIV-15 or IM-A/Sing-15. All laboratory investigators were blind to treatment and participant allocation. Two further groups in part B (5 participants per group), not included in the main safety and immunological analysis, received HD-MAPs delivering 15 μg HA or uncoated HD-MAPs applied to the forearm. Biopsies were taken on days 1 and 4 for analysis of the cellular composition from the HD-MAP application sites. The vaccine coated onto HD-MAPs was antigenically stable when stored at 40°C for at least 12 months. HD-MAP vaccination was safe and well tolerated; any systemic or local adverse events (AEs) were mild or moderate. Observed systemic AEs were mostly headache or myalgia, and local AEs were application-site reactions, usually erythema. HD-MAP administration of 2.5 μg HA induced haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralisation (MN) titres that were not significantly different to those induced by 15 μg HA injected IM (IM-QIV-15). HD-MAP delivery resulted in enhanced humoral responses compared with IM injection with higher HAI geometric mean titres (GMTs) at day 8 in the MAP-UA-15 (GMT 242.5, 95% CI 133.2-441.5), MAP-FA-15 (GMT 218.6, 95% CI 111.9-427.0), and MAP-FA-10 (GMT 437.1, 95% CI 254.3-751.3) groups compared with IM-QIV-15 (GMT 82.8, 95% CI 42.4-161.8), p = 0.02, p = 0.04, p < 0.001 for MAP-UA-15, MAP-FA-15, and MAP-FA-10, respectively. Higher titres were also observed at day 22 in the MAP-FA-10 (GMT 485.0, 95% CI 301.5-780.2, p = 0.001) and MAP-UA-15 (367.6, 95% CI 197.9-682.7, p = 0.02) groups compared with the IM-QIV-15 group (GMT 139.3, 95% CI 79.3-244.5). Results from a panel of exploratory immunoassays (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, CD4+ T-cell cytokine production, memory B cell (MBC) activation, and recognition of non-vaccine strains) indicated that, overall, Vaxxas HD-MAP delivery induced immune responses that were similar to, or higher than, those induced by IM injection of QIV. The small group sizes and use of a monovalent influenza vaccine were limitations of the study. CONCLUSIONS Influenza vaccine coated onto the HD-MAP was stable stored at temperatures up to 40°C. Vaccination using the HD-MAP was safe and well tolerated and resulted in immune responses that were similar to or significantly enhanced compared with IM injection. Using the HD-MAP, a 2.5 μg dose (1/6 of the standard dose) induced HAI and MN titres similar to those induced by 15 μg HA injected IM. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR.org.au), trial ID 108 ACTRN12618000112268/U1111-1207-3550.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Margaret Veitch
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, TRI, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - James W. Wells
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, TRI, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Adam Wheatley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Barbara Francis
- Avance Clinical Pty Ltd, Thebarton, South Australia, Australia
| | - Steve Rockman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Seqirus Pty Ltd, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jesse Bodle
- Seqirus Pty Ltd, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Treasure
- Peter Treasure Statistical Services Ltd, Kings Lynn, United Kingdom
| | | | - Germain J. P. Fernando
- Vaxxas Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- The University of Queensland, School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Sahin Z, Neeleman R, Haines J, Kayser V. Preparation-free method can enable rapid surfactant screening during industrial processing of influenza vaccines. Vaccine 2019; 37:1073-1079. [PMID: 30685250 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.12.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Triton X-100 (TX-100) is the most common surfactant used to split viruses during the production of influenza split-virus vaccines. It is a mild surfactant not known to denature the viral proteins; this property makes TX-100 useful for maintaining antigen conformational structure, and, as an added benefit, for partially stabilizing vaccine formulations against protein aggregation. Despite its benefits, TX-100 needs to be filtered out after virus splitting has been achieved, due to its toxicity in large quantities. Accordingly, residual TX-100 presence in vaccine formulations has implications for both formulation stability and safety, necessitating both accurate screening during processing to guide decision-making about filtration repeats and accurate quantitation in the final product. Accurate HPLC-based methods are used successfully for the latter but their use for routine screening during processing is far from ideal because they often require extensive sample preparation and are fairly slow, complicated and costly. Here, "deconstruction" of UV-Vis absorption spectra into components corresponding to different absorbing "species" is demonstrated as a novel and viable method for routine TX-100 screening in vaccine samples from different industrial processing steps. This method is fairly accurate and, more importantly, preparation-free, rapid, simple/user-friendly and comparatively inexpensive. It is evaluated in depth in terms of applicability conditions, limitations and potential for high-throughput adaptation as well as generalization to other complex biopharmaceutical formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziya Sahin
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Veysel Kayser
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
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Mistilis MJ, Joyce JC, Esser ES, Skountzou I, Compans RW, Bommarius AS, Prausnitz MR. Long-term stability of influenza vaccine in a dissolving microneedle patch. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2017; 7:195-205. [PMID: 26926241 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-016-0282-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that optimized microneedle patch formulations can stabilize trivalent subunit influenza vaccine during long-term storage outside the cold chain and when exposed to potential stresses found during manufacturing and storage. Formulations containing combinations of trehalose/sucrose, sucrose/arginine, and arginine/heptagluconate were successful at retaining most or all vaccine activity during storage at 25 °C for up to 24 months as determined by ELISA assay. The best formulation of microneedle patches contained arginine/heptagluconate, which showed no significant loss of vaccine activity during the study. To validate these in vitro findings, mice were immunized using trivalent influenza vaccine stored in microneedle patches for more than 1 year at 25 °C, which elicited antibody titers greater than or equal to fresh liquid vaccine delivered by intradermal injection, indicating the retention of immunogenicity during storage. Finally, influenza vaccine in microneedle patches lost no significant activity during exposure to 60 °C for 4 months, multiple freeze-thaw cycles, or electron beam irradiation. We conclude that optimally formulated microneedle patches can retain influenza vaccine activity during extended storage outside the cold chain and during other environmental stresses, which suggests the possibility of microneedle patch storage on pharmacy shelves without refrigeration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Mistilis
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA
| | - Jessica C Joyce
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA
| | - E Stein Esser
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ioanna Skountzou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Richard W Compans
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Andreas S Bommarius
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0400, USA
| | - Mark R Prausnitz
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA.
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0100, USA.
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Sahin Z, Akkoc S, Neeleman R, Haines J, Kayser V. Nile Red fluorescence spectrum decomposition enables rapid screening of large protein aggregates in complex biopharmaceutical formulations like influenza vaccines. Vaccine 2017; 35:3026-3032. [PMID: 28476626 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.04.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The extensive presence of large (high molecular weight) protein aggregates in biopharmaceutical formulations is a concern for formulation stability and possibly safety. Tests to screen large aggregate content in such bioformulations are therefore needed for rapid and reliable quality control in industrial settings. Herein, non-commercial seasonal influenza split-virus vaccine samples, produced using various strains and extracted from selected industrial processing steps, were used as model complex bioformulations. Orthogonal characterization through transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography and single-radial immunodiffusion revealed that large, amorphous protein aggregates are formed after virus splitting and their presence is linked mainly, albeit not only, to surfactant (Triton X-100) content in a sample. Importantly, the presence of large virus aggregates in purified whole virus samples and large protein aggregates in vaccine samples was found to correlate with broadening/shouldering in Nile Red fluorescence spectra. Accordingly, decomposition of Nile Red spectra into components allowed the development of a novel, rapid, reliable and user-friendly test with high-throughput potential for screening large aggregate content in influenza split-virus vaccines. The test can be adapted for screening other complex biopharmaceutical formulations, provided relevant controls are done for informed decomposition of fluorescence spectra into their components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziya Sahin
- Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Senem Akkoc
- Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Veysel Kayser
- Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
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Lee KKH, Sahin YZ, Neeleman R, Trout BL, Kayser V. Quantitative determination of the surfactant-induced split ratio of influenza virus by fluorescence spectroscopy. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 12:1757-65. [PMID: 26901837 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1141846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of marketed seasonal influenza vaccines are prepared using viruses that are chemically inactivated and treated with a surfactant. Treating with surfactants has important consequences: it produces 'split viruses' by solubilizing viral membranes, stabilizes free membrane proteins and ensures a low level of reactogenicity while retaining high vaccine potency. The formulation stability and potency of split influenza vaccines are largely determined by the specifics of this 'splitting' process; namely, the consequent conformational changes of proteins and interactions of solubilized particles, which may form aggregates. Robust methods to quantitatively determine the split ratio need to be developed before optimal splitting conditions can be investigated to streamline production of superior influenza vaccines. Here, we present a quantitative method, based on both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, to calculate the split ratio of the virus after surfactant treatment. We use the lipophilic dye Nile Red (NR) as a probe to elucidate molecular interactions and track changes in molecular environments. Inactivated whole influenza viruses obtained from a sucrose gradient were incubated with NR and subsequently treated with increasing concentrations of the surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) to induce virus splitting. NR's emission spectra showed that the addition of TX-100 caused ˜27 nm red-shifts in the emission peak, indicative of increasingly hydrophilic environments surrounding NR. The emission spectra of NR at different surfactant concentrations were analyzed with multi-peak fitting to ascertain the number of different micro-environments surrounding NR and track its population change in these different environments. Results from both the emission spectra and fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy revealed that NR showed presence in 3 distinct molecular environments. The split ratio of the virus was then calculated from the percentages of NR in these environments using both fluorescence emission and lifetime data. This study can pave the way for the development of robust methods to rapidly quantify splitting extent during vaccine manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenny Kwon Ho Lee
- a Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia
| | - Yusuf Ziya Sahin
- a Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia
| | - Ronald Neeleman
- b Global Technologies Innovation, Sanofi-Pasteur , Marcy l'Etoile , France
| | | | - Veysel Kayser
- a Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia
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Long-term stability of a vaccine formulated with the amphipol-trapped major outer membrane protein from Chlamydia trachomatis. J Membr Biol 2014; 247:1053-65. [PMID: 24942817 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-014-9693-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is a major bacterial pathogen throughout the world. Although antibiotic therapy can be implemented in the case of early detection, a majority of the infections are asymptomatic, requiring the development of preventive measures. Efforts have focused on the production of a vaccine using the C. trachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP). MOMP is purified in its native (n) trimeric form using the zwitterionic detergent Z3-14, but its stability in detergent solutions is limited. Amphipols (APols) are synthetic polymers that can stabilize membrane proteins (MPs) in detergent-free aqueous solutions. Preservation of protein structure and optimization of exposure of the most effective antigenic regions can avoid vaccination with misfolded, poorly protective protein. Previously, we showed that APols maintain nMOMP secondary structure and that nMOMP/APol vaccine formulations elicit better protection than formulations using either recombinant or nMOMP solubilized in Z3-14. To achieve a greater understanding of the structural behavior and stability of nMOMP in APols, we have used several spectroscopic techniques to characterize its secondary structure (circular dichroism), tertiary and quaternary structures (immunochemistry and gel electrophoresis) and aggregation state (light scattering) as a function of temperature and time. We have also recorded NMR spectra of (15)N-labeled nMOMP and find that the exposed loops are detectable in APols but not in detergent. Our analyses show that APols protect nMOMP much better than Z3-14 against denaturation due to continuous heating, repeated freeze/thaw cycles, or extended storage at room temperature. These results indicate that APols can help improve MP-based vaccine formulations.
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Patois E, Capelle M, Palais C, Gurny R, Arvinte T. Evaluation of nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) in the characterization of therapeutic antibodies and seasonal influenza vaccines: pros and cons. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/s1773-2247(12)50069-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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