Synthetic Peptides for Immunization
The use of short linear peptides for vaccination has shown promising results in preventing infectious and malignant diseases[1-3]. However, the induction of a potent humoral adaptive immune response still poses big challenges. This might be due to the lack of secondary structure of short linear peptides which is crucial for induction of B cell and CD4+ T cell responses[4]. To solve some of these problems, constrained peptides with defined secondary structure, so-called epitope mimetics, were coupled to lipoamino acids and presented as virus-like particles but these approaches are sequence-specific, highly complex to synthesis, and structure conservation was not given.
Our approach seeks to revolutionize peptide-based vaccination by developing a versatile and easily applicable protocol for presenting epitope mimetics on liposomes, addressing challenges associated with vaccination of viruses including EBV, HIV, RSV, and others. Through the use of a scaffold approach, we aim to enable the presentation of diverse sequences on liposomes without altering the defined secondary structure and offer a solution for enhanced immunogenicity and adaptability in the use of peptide vaccines.
References:
1. Bobisse, S. et al. A phase 1 trial of adoptive transfer of vaccine-primed autologous circulating T cells in ovarian cancer. Nat Cancer 4, 1410-1417 (2023)
2. Herst, C. V. et al. An effective CTL peptide vaccine for Ebola Zaire Based on Survivors’ CD8+ targeting of a particular nucleocapsid protein epitope with potential implications for COVID-19 vaccine design. Vaccine 38, 4464-4475 (2020).
3.Singh, A., Thakur, M., Sharma, L. K. & Chandra, K. Designing a multi-epitope peptide based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 10, 16219 (2020)
4.Moseri, A. et al. An optimally constrained V3 peptide is a better immunogen than its linear homolog or HIV-1 gp120. Virology 401, 293-304 (2010)