2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Gel vaccine designed to co-stimulate both humoral and cellular immunity ideal for elderly vaccination
| Project/Area Number |
19K10097
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| Research Institution | Nihon University |
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Principal Investigator |
Cueno Marni 日本大学, 歯学部, 専修研究員 (20569967)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | gel vaccine / influenza |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Commercially available influenza A H3N2 HA and influenza Yamagata/B HA proteins were purchased and antigen:gel ratio was optimized using an industrial-grade xanthum gum as the gel component. It was established that the optimal antigen:gel ratio is 100 microliter antigen: 0.1 milligram xanthum gum. Moreover, using this ratio it is proposed that both the H3N2 HA and Yamagata/B antigen will be completely encapsulated by the gel component, thereby, both antigens are stable under room temperature. The third antigen component (pneumolysin protein) was no longer available in the market. In this regard, we substituted the pneumolysin protein with the SARS CoV 2 spike protein since this protein antigen is readily available. Considering the switch in the 3rd antigen, protein structural design and simulating gel encapsulation needed to be done in order to determine whether the optimized antigen:gel ratio for both H3N2 HA and Yamagata/B HA would likewise work for the SARS CoV 2 spike protein. Fortunately, in silico gel encapsulation was successful. Sublingual vaccination conditions using rats were optimized while the standard CNS demyelination network design is still on-going. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supplies needed were unavailable and experimentation time was reduced which resulted to repeating the optimization steps multiple times.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Conditions were optimized for H3N2 HA and Yamagata/B HA in both structural design and antigen:gel ratio. Partially delayed in optimizing for a 3rd antigen due to the unavailability of the previously chosen antigen (pneumolysin). Since the 3rd antigen was substituted with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, protein design and antigen:gel ratio would need to be performed. Lastly, the CNS demyelination biochemical network is complex and would require more time to design the network.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Gingival vaccination of the optimized antigen:gel ratio along the gingival crevice will be performed ELISA (B-cell immunity) and ELISPOT (T-cell immunity) will be performed. Immune response for all three antigens will be checked to establish immune efficacy of the gel vaccine. In addition, results will be compared to nasal and sublingual vaccinations. Furthermore, side-effects ascribable to all three vaccination strategies will likewise be determined through our established CNS demyelination standard. By the end of FY2021, we would have established the following: (1) whether our proposed influenza gel vaccine mimicking a dental plaque can successfully co-stimulate both antibody and T-cell immune responses; (2) whether the gingival vaccine is comparable (if not better) than nasal and sublingual vaccination; and (3) determine the possible side-effects associated with each vaccination route through the CNS demyelination standard.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to fully buy all the materials needed. Additionally, since one of the original antigens is no longer available we needed to switch. For 2021, the research fund we will get will be used to initially optimize the conditions for the SARS CoV 2 spike protein. Afterwards, gingival vaccinations will be performed among rats.
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