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Xu Y, Zhou Z, Brooks B, Ferguson T, Obliosca J, Huang J, Kaneko I, Iwanaga S, Yuda M, Tsuji Y, Zhang H, Luo CC, Jiang X, Kong XP, Tsuji M, Tison CK. Layer-by-Layer Delivery of Multiple Antigens Using Trimethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles as a Malaria Vaccine Candidate. Front Immunol 2022; 13:900080. [PMID: 36059505 PMCID: PMC9428560 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.900080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing a safe and effective malaria vaccine is critical to reducing the spread and resurgence of this deadly disease, especially in children. In recent years, vaccine technology has seen expanded development of subunit protein, peptide, and nucleic acid vaccines. This is due to their inherent safety, the ability to tailor their immune response, simple storage requirements, easier production, and lower expense compared to using attenuated and inactivated organism-based approaches. However, these new vaccine technologies generally have low efficacy. Subunit vaccines, due to their weak immunogenicity, often necessitate advanced delivery vectors and/or the use of adjuvants. A new area of vaccine development involves design of synthetic micro- and nano-particles and adjuvants that can stimulate immune cells directly through their physical and chemical properties. Further, the unique and complex life cycle of the Plasmodium organism, with multiple stages and varying epitopes/antigens presented by the parasite, is another challenge for malaria vaccine development. Targeting multistage antigens simultaneously is therefore critical for an effective malaria vaccine. Here, we rationally design a layer-by-layer (LbL) antigen delivery platform (we called LbL NP) specifically engineered for malaria vaccines. A biocompatible modified chitosan nanoparticle (trimethyl chitosan, TMC) was synthesized and utilized for LbL loading and release of multiple malaria antigens from pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic stages. LbL NP served as antigen/protein delivery vehicles and were demonstrated to induce the highest Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein (PfCSP) specific T-cell responses in mice studies as compared to multiple controls. From immunogenicity studies, it was concluded that two doses of intramuscular injection with a longer interval (4 weeks) than traditional malaria vaccine candidate dosing would be the vaccination potential for LbL NP vaccine candidates. Furthermore, in PfCSP/Py parasite challenge studies we demonstrated protective efficacy using LbL NP. These LbL NP provided a significant adjuvant effect since they may induce innate immune response that led to a potent adaptive immunity to mediate non-specific anti-malarial effect. Most importantly, the delivery of CSP full-length protein stimulated long-lasting protective immune responses even after the booster immunization 4 weeks later in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Xu
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Yang Xu,
| | - Ziyou Zhou
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Brad Brooks
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Tammy Ferguson
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Judy Obliosca
- Luna Labs USA, Biotech Group, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Jing Huang
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- Department of Medical Zoology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Yukiko Tsuji
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Huitang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Christina C. Luo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xunqing Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Xiang-Peng Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Moriya Tsuji
- HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, NY, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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