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Tang X, Zhang W, Zhang Z. Developing T Cell Epitope-Based Vaccines Against Infection: Challenging but Worthwhile. Vaccines (Basel) 2025; 13:135. [PMID: 40006681 PMCID: PMC11861332 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines13020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2024] [Revised: 01/22/2025] [Accepted: 01/23/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025] Open
Abstract
T cell epitope-based vaccines are designed to elicit long-lived pathogen-specific memory T cells that can quickly activate protective effector functions in response to subsequent infections. These vaccines have the potential to provide sustained protection against mutated variants, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which are increasingly capable of evading neutralizing antibodies. Recent advancements in epitope discovery, T cell receptor analysis, and bioinformatics have enabled the precise selection of epitopes and the sophisticated design of epitope-based vaccines. This review outlines the development process for T cell epitope-based vaccines. We summarize the current progress in T cell epitope discovery technologies, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each method. We also examine advancements in the design and optimization of epitope-based vaccines, particularly through bioinformatics tools. Additionally, we discuss the challenges of validating the accurate processing and presentation of individual epitopes and establishing suitable rodent models to evaluate vaccine immunogenicity and protective efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Tang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Institute for Hepatology, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; (X.T.); (W.Z.)
| | - Wei Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Institute for Hepatology, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; (X.T.); (W.Z.)
| | - Zheng Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Institute for Hepatology, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; (X.T.); (W.Z.)
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Anti-Infection Drug Quality Evaluation, Shenzhen 518112, China
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Smith AR, Rizvi F, Everton E, Adeagbo A, Wu S, Tam Y, Muramatsu H, Pardi N, Weissman D, Gouon-Evans V. Transient growth factor expression via mRNA in lipid nanoparticles promotes hepatocyte cell therapy in mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5010. [PMID: 38866762 PMCID: PMC11169405 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49332-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) transplantation is a promising alternative to liver transplantation, whereby liver function could be restored by partial repopulation of the diseased organ with healthy cells. However, currently PHH engraftment efficiency is low and benefits are not maintained long-term. Here we refine two male mouse models of human chronic and acute liver diseases to recapitulate compromised hepatocyte proliferation observed in nearly all human liver diseases by overexpression of p21 in hepatocytes. In these clinically relevant contexts, we demonstrate that transient, yet robust expression of human hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the liver via nucleoside-modified mRNA in lipid nanoparticles, whose safety was validated with mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, drastically improves PHH engraftment, reduces disease burden, and improves overall liver function. This strategy may overcome the critical barriers to clinical translation of cell therapies with primary or stem cell-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna R Smith
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fatima Rizvi
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elissa Everton
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anisah Adeagbo
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan Wu
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ying Tam
- Acuitas Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hiromi Muramatsu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Norbert Pardi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Valerie Gouon-Evans
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
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Smith AR, Rizvi F, Everton E, Adeagbo A, Wu S, Tam Y, Muramatsu H, Pardi N, Weissman D, Gouon-Evans V. Transient growth factor expression via mRNA in lipid nanoparticles promotes hepatocyte cell therapy to treat murine liver diseases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575286. [PMID: 38260488 PMCID: PMC10802626 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) transplantation is a promising alternative to liver transplantation, whereby liver function could be restored by partial repopulation of the diseased organ with healthy cells. However, currently PHH engraftment efficiency is low and benefits are not maintained long-term. Here we refine two mouse models of human chronic and acute liver diseases to recapitulate compromised hepatocyte proliferation observed in nearly all human liver diseases by overexpression of p21 in hepatocytes. In these clinically relevant contexts, we demonstrate that transient, yet robust expression of human hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the liver via nucleoside-modified mRNA in lipid nanoparticles, whose safety was validated with mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, drastically improves PHH engraftment, reduces disease burden, and improves overall liver function. This novel strategy may overcome the critical barriers to clinical translation of cell therapies with primary or stem cell-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver diseases.
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