Recombinant protein vaccines, exemplified by the Novavax vaccine deployed in combating COVID-19, present a plethora of advantages over traditional vaccines. Their precise manufacturability, coupled with enhanced safety and potential efficacy, as well as the prospect of reduced dosage requirements, underscores their pivotal role in modern immunization strategies.
Given these attributes, there is burgeoning interest in the development of recombinant influenza vaccines. However, despite the promise they hold, the Food and Drug Administration has sanctioned only one such vaccine thus far.
A pioneering research endeavor led by the University at Buffalo aims to augment this repertoire by pioneering a new recombinant flu vaccine, as detailed in a recent publication in Cell Reports Medicine. This innovative vaccine candidate, spearheaded by senior co-author Jonathan Lovell, Ph.D., SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UB, harbors the potential to rival existing vaccines.
Drifting from conventional approaches, which typically involve deactivated influenza pathogens or attenuated strains of the virus, the vaccine under development leverages a nanoliposome platform christened cobalt-porphyrin-phospholipid (CoPoP). This platform, meticulously crafted by Lovell and his collaborators, facilitates the presentation of immune-stimulating proteins on the nanoliposome's surface, thereby engendering robust vaccine efficacy.
While the CoPoP vaccine platform was not directly investigated in this study, it has undergone rigorous phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials in South Korea and the Philippines as a prospective COVID-19 vaccine, through a collaborative effort between UB spinoff company POP Biotechnologies, co-founded by Lovell, and South Korean biotech firm EuBiologics.
Individually, these nanoliposomes do not possess disease-fighting capabilities. However, when conjugated with recombinant influenza proteins derived from viral genetic blueprints, they potentiate the immune system's defensive response against pathogens.
In the study, researchers adorned the nanoliposome with a consortium of six proteins—three from each of two distinct protein cohorts, hemagglutinins, and neuraminidases. Furthermore, two adjuvants (PHAD and QS21) were incorporated to bolster the immune response.
Examinations conducted in animal models, featuring three prevalent flu strains—H1N1, H3N2, and type B—revealed the remarkable efficacy of the “hexaplex” nanoliposome. Even at low doses, the hexaplex nanoliposome conferred superior protection and survival rates against H1 and N1 strains compared to Flublok, the solitary licensed recombinant influenza vaccine in the U.S., and Fluaid, an egg-based vaccine. Encouragingly, the nanoliposome exhibited comparable levels of protection against H3N2 and type B viruses.
These evaluations encompassed both traditional vaccination protocols and blood serum transfers from vaccinated mice to non-vaccinated counterparts, underscoring the robustness and potential translational impact of the hexaplex nanoliposome as a next-generation influenza vaccine.
Source: University at Buffalo