Griffith College researchers have developed a possible new vaccine modality, which is at present on the proof-of-concept stage. This secure particulate vaccine, pioneered by Professor Bernd Rehm and Dr. Shuxiong Chen, was examined alongside a promising Strep A vaccine. The revolutionary know-how reprograms Escherichia coli cells to provide massive portions of vaccine particles. These vaccines are secure at room temperature, making them ideally suited for growing international locations.
Researchers from Griffith College are on the point of a technological breakthrough in vaccine growth with a attainable new vaccine modality.
Professor Bernd Rehm and Dr Shuxiong Chen from the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) and Griffith’s Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers have succeeded in growing a brand new vaccine modality that may be a secure particulate vaccine.
Testing and Growth
The brand new vaccine modality is on the proof-of-concept stage and in early growth. To show this vaccine method, it was examined with a extra established Griffith vaccine towards Strep A that’s at present performing strongly in human medical trials in Canada.
Professor Rehm mentioned the exams we’ve run to this point present this know-how facilitates the event of vaccines which are secure and induce sturdy immune responses towards Strep A.
“It’s an artificial vaccine based mostly on our revolutionary know-how that makes use of reprogrammed secure Escherichia coli cells to assemble vaccine particles at excessive yield,” he mentioned. “To develop the vaccine, we reprogrammed bacterial cell factories to assemble biopolymer particles coated with the Griffith Strep A antigens and located the particles had been secure and guarded towards an infection. We developed an economical manufacturing course of and the ensuing vaccines are ambient-temperature secure, strongly facilitating stockpiling and dissemination in growing international locations the place refrigeration shouldn’t be all the time accessible.”
Future Potential and Steps
Dr. Chen mentioned this development has the potential to be a medical breakthrough for growing many vaccines.
“The following steps are to provide vaccines at top quality and to guage their efficiency in medical trials,” Dr Chen mentioned.
The International Menace of Strep A
Group A Streptococcus is a worldwide human pathogen that results in a variety of infections from sicknesses resembling delicate pharyngitis and impetigo to invasive illnesses resembling poisonous shock syndrome, necrotising fasciitis, and cellulitis. Mortality attributable to Strep A is not directly brought on by the event of antimicrobial resistance ensuing from the large consumption of antibiotics.
Globally, Strep A causes 700 million human infections every year and there are greater than 500,000 deaths.
Professor Bernd Rehm and his crew collaborated with Professor Michael Good from Griffith’s Institute for Glycomics whose crew supplied experience to check the know-how in a mannequin of Strep A an infection.
Professor Good’s crew developed a Strep A vaccine which is at present being examined in a human medical trial in Canada.
Reference: “Polymeric epitope-based vaccine induces protecting immunity towards group A Streptococcus” by Shuxiong Chen, Victoria Ozberk, Gayathri Sam, Zennia Jean C. Gonzaga, Ainslie Calcutt, Manisha Pandey, Michael F. Good and Bernd H. A. Rehm, 14 July 2023, npj Vaccines.
DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00695-x
