Development of RNA vaccine containing the sequence of an antigen of Leishmania amazonensis

• Grant number: 23/14135-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 08, 2024
• End date: February 12, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Santuza Maria Ribeiro Teixeira
• Grantee: Júlio César Bueno da Silva Filho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Belo Horizonte , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The select student Júlio Cesar will follow a master student in a project with the aim to develop an mRNA vaccine for Leishmania amazonensis, evaluating, through in vitro and in vivo experiments, the correlation between the activity of the luciferase enzyme and parasitemia, through the infection of mammalian cells and mice with an Leishmania strain modified to express luciferase. In this way, using molecular biology techniques such as qPCR, the expression of enzyme activity and bioluminescence from parasites expressing luciferase the parasitemia will be quantified to evaluate protection of the mRNA vaccine being tested. A strain of L. amazonensis expressing luciferase provided by (CpqRR-Fiocruz) will be inoculate in the immunized and control mice in the paw and ear regions, and subsequently through the administration of D-luciferin, the expression of bioluminescence will be evaluated using an in vivo imaging system. At the same time, the in vitro expression of L. amazonensis expressing luciferase and L. amazonensis WT (negative control) will be evaluated using bioluminescence analysis and qPCR. In addition to the molecular techniques used, skin lesions caused by infections will be evaluated to assess the effectiveness of treatments for immunized mice. (AU)