DEVELOPMENT OF AN ORAL VACCINE PLATFORM WITH SURFACE PROTEINS FROM Giardia lamblia

RUPIL LUCÍA LARA; GARGANTINI PABLO RUBÉN; ÑANCUFIL AYLIN; FASSOLA LUCIANA; ALBRIEU GUILLERMO; SERRADELL, MARIANELA DEL CARMEN

Congreso; XXIII JORNADAS ANUALES DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE BIOLOGÍA; 2021

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the benefits of immunization as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions achieved to date. Although parenteral immunization is generally effective in eliminating systemic infections, it often fails to establish protective responses on mucosal surfaces, where most infectious agents initiate infection. Mucosal vaccines target the common mucosal immune system and achieve a more complete protective immune response by conferring local as well as systemic immunity. Oral immunization is the most widely used form of mucosal vaccines, due to its ease of administration. But, to achieve proper bioavailability oral vaccines must avoid antigen degradation by digestive proteases. We have recently developed a vaccine platform that leverages the properties of Giardia lamblia?s variant-specific surface proteins (VSPs) to allow oral immunization of subunit vaccines. VSPs cover the entire surface of this parasite that inhabits the upper gastrointestinal tract where digestive enzymes have their highest concentration. Since VSPs have an outstanding resistance to proteases and to changes in pH, high immunogenicity and absence of toxicity, we engineered them to accommodate at a virus like particle (VLP), and demonstrated that they could confer protection to a viral antigen displayed on the particle. As a proof of concept, mice were orally immunized with VLPs containing glycoproteins of influenza virus and VSP1267. Immunized mice generated an efficient humoral and cellular, mucosal and systemic immune response that protected them from infection with the virus and from tumours expressing viral antigens. These exciting results prompted us to study the application of this platform as a potential vaccine for several other viruses.In conclusion, this novel vaccine platform provides new opportunities in the field of vaccine technology to ultimately achieve more efficient vaccines with better patient compliance.