Accelerated development of a recombinant protein vaccine against COVID-19 by integrating the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein antigen with a new delivery system

The objective of this proposal is to develop a new candidate recombinant protein vaccine for the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on a novel protein delivery and adjuvant technology, iPDT. If successful, this research will advance another COVID-19 vaccine candidate(s) to the pipeline toward clinical use. The causative agent of COVID-19 is SARS coronavirus (CoV)-2. The spike (S) protein of CoV protrudes from and covers the surface of virus particles and interacts with host cell to initiate infection. We will test if the S protein derivatives induce protective antibody responses when delivered in conjunction with iPTD. In prior studies, we observed that a protein modified by iPTD elicited an earlier and stronger antibody response in mice compared to the commonly used adjuvant, alum. We are expecting that the SARS-CoV-2 S protein with iPTD delivery system can be adopted as a strategy to quickly generate a vaccine for COVID-19.

Faculty Supervisor:

Masahiro Niikura

Student:

Siobhan Ennis

Partner:

iProgen

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Simon Fraser University