Developing new vaccine technologies to counter complex parasitic pathogens

Vaccines are crucial for infectious disease control and prevention, and advancements in vaccine technology have enabled the development of effective vaccines against many viruses and bacteria. However, there are no highly effective and durable subunit vaccines against parasites. This is because parasites have multiple lifecycle stages and display different proteins at each stage, but most vaccines only focus on one target due to limitations in traditional vaccine development approaches. This project aims to explore and establish novel vaccine technologies that are fast to develop, adaptable to different diseases, and have the ability to target multiple proteins at the same time. In this work, by using two malaria parasite proteins as a model, we will explore the potential of two vaccine technologies- mRNA and SpyTag/SpyCatcher-decorated virus-like particles (VLPs), to rapidly develop vaccines that can target two or more proteins simultaneously. We also wish to establish a novel vaccine platform- to produce VLPs in the host using mRNA technology. These approaches will be tested in preclinical models to assess if they are effective against complex parasites. By developing rapid and adaptable vaccine technologies, this work will accelerate future vaccine development to rapidly cope with new and existing complex diseases in both clinical and veterinary settings.

BBSRC priority areas: Transformative technologies, Bioscience for an integrated understanding of health, Animal Health, Technology development for the biosciences

This research will explore and establish novel and transformative technologies for rapid and adaptable vaccine development. By exploring the potential of the mRNA and the SpyTag/SpyCatcher virus-like particle platforms for multivalent vaccine development, this work will employ novel strategies to combat rapidly evolving and complex pathogens. The adaptable nature of these platforms will contribute to future development of next generation vaccines for effective prevention and control of both human and animal infectious diseases.