Nanovaccines: a novel experimental concept applied to the development of subunit vacines.

• Grant number: 18/08199-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology
• Principal researcher: Luis Carlos de Souza Ferreira
• Grantee: Marianna Teixeira de Pinho Favaro
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/20045-7 - Antigen discovery and development of serological diagnostic methods and vaccine approaches against the Zika Virus (ZIKV), AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/24813-7 - Development of self-assembling peptide nanovaccines for Zika Virus, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Over the last years viruses from Flavivirus family have been responsible for several epidemies, gaining special notoriety in Brazil for the resurgence of Yellow Fever and Zika virus (ZIKV) association with neurological syndromes. WHO regards the development of safe and efficient vaccines against these pathogens a priority. In this context subunit vaccines are particularly promising for being safer, despite being associated with lower immunogenicity. In the present project we propose a novel experimental approach applied to the development of subunit vaccines, consisting in the modification of recombinant proteins through the insertion of cationic peptides that confer to the antigen self assembling properties ("Self Assembling Protein Nanoparticles"). We propose to apply the concept of nanovaccines to the envelope protein (E), and in particular to the domain III (EDIII) of flavivirus, initially with emphasis on ZIKV. Additionally, cationic peptides can confer enhanced internalization capacity, thus mimicking both size and behavior characteristics of viral particles. We expect the nanovaccines prepared with EDIII and other parts of E protein from flavivirus to increase immunogenicity and stability of target antigens, achieving the induction of durable and broader immune responses, including T-cell mediated immunity. As a final goal, we seek the implementation of a novel vaccine strategy so far unexplored in Brazil, that could be applied to other flavivirus and viruses in general.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PINHO FAVARO, MARIANNA TEIXEIRA; RODRIGUES-JESUS, MONICA JOSIANE; VENCESLAU-CARVALHO, ALEXIA ADRIANNE; DOS SANTOS ALVES, RUBENS PRINCE; PEREIRA, LENNON RAMOS; PEREIRA, SAMUEL SANTOS; ANDREATA-SANTOS, ROBERT; DE SOUZA FERREIRA, LUIS CARLOS. Nanovaccine based on self-assembling nonstructural protein 1 boosts antibody responses to Zika virus. Nanomedicine-Nanotechnology Biology and Medicine, v. 32, FEB 2021. Web of Science Citations: 1.