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Davtyan H, Hovakimyan A, Kiani Shabestari S, Antonyan T, Coburn MA, Zagorski K, Chailyan G, Petrushina I, Svystun O, Danhash E, Petrovsky N, Cribbs DH, Agadjanyan MG, Blurton-Jones M, Ghochikyan A. Testing a MultiTEP-based combination vaccine to reduce Aβ and tau pathology in Tau22/5xFAD bigenic mice. Alzheimers Res Ther 2019; 11:107. [PMID: 31847886 PMCID: PMC6918571 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-019-0556-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau, which together lead to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Current therapeutic approaches have primarily aimed to reduce pathological aggregates of either Aβ or tau, yet phase 3 clinical trials of these approaches have thus far failed to delay disease progression in humans. Strong preclinical evidence indicates that these two abnormally aggregated proteins interact synergistically to drive downstream neurodegeneration. Therefore, combinatorial therapies that concurrently target both Aβ and tau might be needed for effective disease modification. METHODS A combinatorial vaccination approach was designed to concurrently target both Aβ and tau pathologies. Tau22/5xFAD (T5x) bigenic mice that develop both pathological Aβ and tau aggregates were injected intramuscularly with a mixture of two MultiTEP epitope vaccines: AV-1959R and AV-1980R, targeting Aβ and tau, respectively, and formulated in AdvaxCpG, a potent polysaccharide adjuvant. Antibody responses of vaccinated animals were measured by ELISA, and neuropathological changes were determined in brain homogenates of vaccinated and control mice using ELISA and Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) multiplex assays. RESULTS T5x mice immunized with a mixture of Aβ- and tau-targeting vaccines generated high Aβ- and tau-specific antibody titers that recognized senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles/neuropil threads in human AD brain sections. Production of these antibodies in turn led to significant reductions in the levels of soluble and insoluble total tau, and hyperphosphorylated tau as well as insoluble Aβ42, within the brains of bigenic T5x mice. CONCLUSIONS AV-1959R and AV-1980R formulated with AdvaxCpG adjuvant are immunogenic and therapeutically potent vaccines that in combination can effectively reduce both of the hallmark pathologies of AD in bigenic mice. Taken together, these findings warrant further development of this vaccine technology for ultimate testing in human AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayk Davtyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Armine Hovakimyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
| | | | - Tatevik Antonyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
| | - Morgan A. Coburn
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Karen Zagorski
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
- Current address: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE USA
| | - Gor Chailyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
| | - Irina Petrushina
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Olga Svystun
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
| | - Emma Danhash
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | | | - David H. Cribbs
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Michael G. Agadjanyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
| | - Mathew Blurton-Jones
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Anahit Ghochikyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA USA
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Davtyan H, Zagorski K, Petrushina I, Kazarian K, Goldberg NRS, Petrosyan J, Blurton-Jones M, Masliah E, Cribbs DH, Agadjanyan MG, Ghochikyan A. MultiTEP platform-based DNA vaccines for alpha-synucleinopathies: preclinical evaluation of immunogenicity and therapeutic potency. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 59:156-170. [PMID: 28870518 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that anti-beta amyloid DNA vaccine (AV-1959D) based on our proprietary MultiTEP platform technology is extremely immunogenic in mice, rabbits, and monkeys. Importantly, MultiTEP platform enables development of vaccines targeting pathological molecules involved in various neurodegenerative disorders. Taking advantage of the universality of MultiTEP platform, we developed DNA vaccines targeting 3 B-cell epitopes (amino acids [aa]85-99, aa109-126, and aa126-140) of human alpha-synuclein (hα-Syn) separately or all 3 epitopes simultaneously. All 4 DNA vaccines (1) generate high titers of anti-hα-Syn antibodies and (2) induce robust MultiTEP-specific T-helper cell responses without activation of potentially detrimental autoreactive anti-hα-Syn T-helper cells. Generated antibodies recognize misfolded hα-Syn produced by neuroblastoma cells, hα-Syn in the brain tissues of transgenic mouse strains and in the brain tissues of dementia with Lewy body cases. Based on these results, the most promising vaccine targeting 3 B-cell epitopes of hα-Syn simultaneously (PV-1950D) has been chosen for ongoing preclinical assessment in mouse models of hα-Syn with the aim to translate it to the human clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayk Davtyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Karen Zagorski
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA
| | - Irina Petrushina
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Konstantin Kazarian
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA
| | - Natalie R S Goldberg
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Janet Petrosyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA
| | - Mathew Blurton-Jones
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David H Cribbs
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Michael G Agadjanyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Anahit Ghochikyan
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach, CA, USA.
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