A Rationally Designed Artificial Bacteria Nanoparticle Vaccine Platform

Speaker: 
Alyssa Siefert Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University
Seminar Date: 
Friday, November 8, 2013 - 12:00pm
Location: 
BECTON SEMINAR ROOM See map
Prospect Street
New Haven, CT

Vaccines are effective treatments for many diseases because they educate and amplify the immune system against specific antigens, leveraging the body’s ability to fight diseases and clear pathogens. Antigen-encapsulating nanoparticles are especially efficacious vaccines for numerous reasons. Comprised of well-characterized biomaterials, such as the FDA-approved, biocompatible polymer poly(lactic co glycolic acid) (PLGA), nanoparticle vaccines can be formulated to encapsulate one or more antigens (including proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids) and myriad structurally- and functionally-diverse immunostimulatory molecules (adjuvants) and small molecule drugs. The tunability of nanoparticles allows researchers to compose vaccines that target certain cell types and deliver specified antigens and adjuvants, tailoring the immune response in both magnitude and direction. In this work, we seek to rationally design nanoparticle vaccines that mimic natural pathogens, creating “artificial bacterial vaccine nanoparticles” that are recognized by the innate and adaptive immune system and mount a robust, antigen-specific response. Using immunostimulatory molecules derived from bacterial cell walls and DNA, termed pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), we demonstrate in vitro and in vivo the effects of differential combinations and presentation methods of PAMPs on nanoparticles. Optimization of this biomimetic platform is beneficial for innumerable pathologies, as these modular vaccine nanoparticles can encapsulate any antigens and adjuvants of interest.

Host: 
Paul Fleury
Seminar Announcement Brochure: 

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