The University of Cambridge has revealed that a new vaccine antigen technology could help enhance vaccine candidates to tackle potential future viruses and variants.
Developed by the University of Cambridge and its spin-out company, Digitally Immune Optimised Synthetic Vaccines (DIOSynVax), the technology could enhance vaccine protection against global threats, including existing and future virus outbreaks.
In 2020, the vaccine antigen technology provided protection against all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, along with other major coronaviruses.
Even though the vaccine was designed before the emergence of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, the studies in mice, rabbits and guinea pigs revealed that the vaccine candidate provided strong protection against all of these and more recent variants, suggesting that vaccines based on DIOSynVax antigens may also protect against future variants.
DIOSynVax uses a combination of computational biology, protein structure, immune optimisation, and synthetic biology to deploy vaccine candidates on a variety of vaccine delivery and manufacturing platforms.
Its pipeline currently comprises vaccine candidates for influenza viruses, haemorrhagic fever viruses, as well as coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
Part-funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) UK Vaccine Network Programme and the Innovative UK DIOS-CoVax programme, the technology targets the critical regions of the virus to complete its virus life cycle, as opposed to just the spike proteins, using computer simulations and selecting conserved structurally engineered antigens.
The researchers were able to identify a unique antigen structure that provided broad-based immune responses against different Sarbeco coronaviruses – the large group of SARS and SARS-CoV-2 viruses that occur in nature.
In collaboration with the University of Regensburg, the team administered the candidate as a DNA immunogen, a weakened version of the virus (Modified Vaccinia Ankara, supported by ProBiogen) and as an mRNA vaccine in collaboration with Ethris.
In all cases, the optimised antigen generated a strong immune response in mice, rabbits and guinea pigs against a range of coronaviruses.
Professor Jonathan Heeney, from Cambridge’s department of veterinary medicine, who led the research, said: “These optimised synthetic antigens generate broad immune responses, targeted to the key sites of the virus that can’t change easily. It opens the door for vaccines against viruses that we don’t yet know about.”
Currently, the first-in-human clinical trials are ongoing at the Southhampton and Cambridge NIHR Clinical Research Facilities.
Source: https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/new_vaccine_technology_could_help_fight_future_viruses_and_variants_1501562