Multitarget-Display Viruslike Particle-Based Vaccine to Combat Lyme Disease
Abstract
Lyme disease is a serious and expensive public health problem, with an estimated 300,000 cases in the US every year. Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia, which is spread to people by a bite from an infected tick. Lyme disease symptoms often start with a large rash at the site of the tick bite and a severe headache. If untreated, Lyme disease can cause arthritis, cardiac, or neurological problems. Lyme disease acquired during pregnancy may lead to the infection of the placenta and possible stillbirth. Cases of Lyme disease have been reported in nearly every state, but most cases are concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest. There is no current human vaccine for Lyme disease. This proposal addresses the Fiscal Year 2016 Tick Borne Disease Research Program specific Focus Area of Prevention through the development of a targeted vaccine to combat Lyme disease. Vaccines are the best method for preventing people from catching transmissible diseases, and immunization with an effective vaccine will greatly reduce the risk of people contracting Lyme disease. The Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology uses non-transgenic plants to make specific proteins for vaccines and therapeutic treatments. Our plant-based production system allows us to rapidly generate inexpensive and safe vaccines and treatments without the costs and concerns associated with other production methods. Previous attempts to make a Lyme disease vaccine were based around a single Borrelia protein from a single form of the bacteria; however, Borrelia bacteria comes in many different forms. In addition, to avoid the immune system, Borrelia continually changes its surface structures during the infection. This has made it challenging to develop a single vaccine that will prevent all forms of the bacteria. To overcome these problems, Fraunhofer proposes to compare multiple Borrelia species, carefully selecting regions from the different stages of infection that are present in the different forms of the bacteria. We will select regions that are likely to make effective vaccines. By careful design, we propose to make a safe, non-infective vaccine that displays multiple key components from the Borrelia bacteria and from the biting tick, selecting regions for their ability to induce a strong protective immune response. The vaccine will cause the generation antibodies that kill the Borrelia, both in the tick and in the person, preventing the person from becoming infected. In addition, we will design our vaccine to display the Borrelia components on a particle, greatly increasing the effectiveness of the vaccine. We are seeking funding for a 2-year program that will take the Lyme vaccine from the initial design phase, through the production and testing of multiple possible vaccine candidates, to the final selection of a best candidate. The selected final Lyme vaccine candidate will have shown that it can prevent animals from becoming infected with the disease. An ideal Lyme vaccine would also not need booster injections every year, increasing the proportion of the population that is protected. We will therefore also analyze the vaccine for its ability to generate a long-term protective response. Although the developed Lyme vaccine will require many additional years of testing in both animals and humans to ensure that it is safe and effective, the data generated through this work should allow us to begin discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, and to seek additional funding to move the vaccine into clinical development. If successful, the research presented in this proposal holds the promise for the development of a Lyme vaccine that is effective against all forms of the Lyme disease causing agent. The developed vaccine should be beneficial to all members of the general and military populations, including our military Veterans. By incorporating regions of the tick in the vaccine, this work also has the pot
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 29, 2018
- Source ID
- W81XWH1710604
Entities
People
- Vidadi Yusibov
Organizations
- Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology
- United States Army