Associated parasite-bacterial engineered vaccines for Chagas Disease based on Trypanosoma cruzi antigenic proteins and secure bacterial components

CECILIA PEREZ BRANDAN; VAZQUEZ, MARIA ELISA; ZABALA, BRENDA ANDREA; ANDREA MESIAS; PARODI, CECILIA; NATALIA CORBALAN; LEONARDO ACUÑA

Buenos Aires

Otro; XXXIII REUNIÓN ANUAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE PROTOZOOLOGÍA; 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoologia

According to the World Health Organization, Neglected Tropical Diseases are common in tropical regions and generally affect people that live in extreme poverty, with no access to clean water, and with scarce or absent medical assistance. Chagas Disease, endemic in the north of Argentina, is considered one of these disorders. Chemotherapy is possible, however severe adverse episodes and lack of effectiveness at the different stages of the infection have a negative impact on treatment adherence. On the other hand, great efforts with no evident success- have been made in relation to vaccine development against Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent responsible for this pathology. Fortunately, there is a fresh impetus to develop novel therapeutics and prophylactic strategies. At this point is where bacteria gain special attention. There is vast accumulated knowledge on how to manipulate them, since they have been used for so many years in scientific investigation. Their assets for research lie in their ease of use, rapid growth, low cost and the possibility of manipulating their genomes. For the last few years our group have been working in exploring different strategies for the development of a vaccine against Chagas Disease based on bacteria components. So far, we have evaluated the efficacy of genetically engineered bacteria outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) expressing different T. cruzi antigens in conferring protection against virulent infection in vaccinated animals. Our results suggest that the performance of recombinant OMVs as potential immunogen for Chagas Disease is worth considering and promising but deserves further studies. Additionally, we are evaluating the behavior of Lactobacillus genetically decorated with parasite antigens in a prime and boost classical protection scheme in a mouse model. We strongly believe that advances in this area may have a significant impact on the future prospects of populations affected by these pathologies.