Humoral and cellular immunogenicity study of ferritin nanoparticles containing DNA vaccine

• Grant number: 20/13623-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2021
• End date: February 28, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana Testa Moura de Carvalho Vicentini
• Grantee: Gabriel Pocci Antonio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The immunotherapy using DNA vaccines is a promising strategy for cancer treatment and prevention, based mainly on the premise that it would support the expression of encoded tumor antigens, which would further increase the sensitization and in vivo activation of T cells that are capable of recognize tumor antigens on the malignant cell surface. DNA vaccines have advantages as vaccine strategy, such as relatively easy production, stability, can be administered by different routes and can be modified to improve the immune response. However, they still face important challenges to become an effective tool, being of fundamental importance the choice of the approach to be used in the stimulation of the immune system, in order to break the tumor environment immunosuppression to generate an effective response against the tumor. In this situation, the nanotechnology offers different platforms that can be used as adjuvants for this new generation of vaccines, such as the use of systems of biological origin that have important advantages because they have acquired an extraordinary level of control through evolution over the time. The present project, which aims to assess the immunogenicity of vaccine formulations (ferritin nanoparticles incorporated with pDNA), with determination of the humoral and cellular immune response in previously immunized animals, is part of the project entitled: "Use of ferritin nanoparticles as basis for the development of antitumor vaccine delivery systems "(Process FAPESP n ° 2019 / 08891-8), under the coordination of Profa. Dr. Fabiana T.M.C. Vicentini. Considering the importance of assessing the capacity of vaccine delivery systems to increase the immune response, as well as understanding the response profile induced by them, the development of this project will have a major contribution to the establishment of a technological platform for R&D of nanostructured delivery systems of biological origin for the delivery of vaccines.