Development of a production and purification process for Schistosoma mansoni antigens in fusion with rhizavidin

• Grant number: 24/07325-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Viviane Maimoni Gonçalves
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Moreno Pássaro
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/24832-6 - Development of vaccines based on recombinant BCG: Tuberculosis, Pertussis, Pneumococcus and Schistosoma, AP.TEM

Abstract

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease and one of the most important parasitosis in the world, currently endemic in more than 50 countries and responsible for over 11,000 deaths per year, besides other socioeconomic impacts. For Schistosoma mansoni, prevalent parasite species in Brazil, SmTSP-2 and SmCD59.2 antigens in fusion with rhizavidin stand out for the development of vaccine candidates based on multiple antigen presentation systems. However, suitable yield and purity for these antigens are necessary for the production of vaccine candidates. Therefore, this PhD project aims to scale up the production of these rhizavidin-fused antigens to bioreactor scale and evaluate the use of new chromatography resins to maximize yield during the purification steps. Resins such as Sepharose®, Capto®, Praesto®, Fractogel® and Talon® will be evaluated in immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography (capture; Co2+ ions immobilized) and/or ion exchange chromatography (polishing). Moreover, strategies for varying the feed flow rate during the capture step and optimizing the equilibrium buffer in the polishing step will also be evaluated for each resin, assessing their impact on the yield, purity and productivity of the process. With this study, we expect to obtain rhizavidin-fused antigens in suitable purity and yield for the production of vaccine candidates against S. mansoni, contributing to the knowledge regarding the development of prophylactic vaccines for schistosomiasis and the training of multidisciplinary professionals in the area of Biotechnology.