Improving vaccine stability and immunological response
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LLNL biologists Nicholas Fischer and Amy Rasley are analyzing the size of the nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) by dynamic light scattering in preparation for their use in vaccine applications. (Photo by Blaise Douros)
Many vaccines that have been or are in the process of being developed, continue to face certain challenges when deployed worldwide. The practical impacts of vaccines are often compromised by common challenges, particularly, all currently licensed vaccines require sustained refrigeration, known as the “cold chain.”
Under a strategic partnership, LLNL, the University of New Mexico (UNM), and the University of Nevada, Reno have been awarded $2.6 million by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to develop vaccine formulations that use a combination of excipients (inactive substances) known to stabilize vaccines (via a process known as spray drying) when exposed to extreme storage conditions. This technology can be adapted to elicit the slow release of vaccine components upon vaccination, providing a sustained immunological response compared to traditional approaches.
LLNL’s contribution to the project includes a nanolipoprotein particle (NLP)-based vaccine against Francisella tularensis (Ft)—the bacteria that causes the disease tularemia, more commonly known as rabbit fever. Developed at LLNL, NLPs are tiny, disk-shaped structures used for drug and subunit vaccine delivery. In addition to formulating the NLP vaccine, LLNL will also evaluate the immunogenicity of the vaccine after spray drying.
Back at UNM, researchers will evaluate the encapsulation of the vaccine within the NLP drug delivery platform, characterize the vaccine’s physicochemical and stability profile, and aid in evaluating the efficacy of the vaccine.
–Physical and Life Sciences Communications Team
