Application of systems vaccinology to evaluate the mechanisms and correlates of immunity of plant-based virus-like particle vaccines for influenza.

Influenza vaccination programs aim to protect the population during seasonal outbreaks and pandemics but current vaccines face a number of challenges including inefficient production, variable immunogenicity and rapidly waning protection. To address some of these challenges, the Quebec-based biopharmaceutical company Medicago has developed a technology for producing influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines in plants. This novel technology enables rapid and reliable production of vaccines that have been shown to provide considerable protection in late-stage clinical trials. However, these vaccines tend to elicit modest antibody responses, which are often used as a surrogate of protection in the licensure of influenza vaccines. The company is investigating a number of strategies to improve the antibody response to vaccination, including the use of VLPs that are modified to prevent binding of the influenza hemagglutinin protein to sialic acid receptors (‘non-binding’ or ‘NB’ VLPs). This novel approach has shown great promise in pre-clinical studies and will be evaluated in a phase I clinical trial in the coming year. Using samples obtained from participants in the clinical trial, we plan to conduct a series of cutting-edge analyses that will allow us to better understand the types of antibodies that are produced following vaccination and the features of the early immune response that lead to strong and long-lasting antibody responses. This work will provide important insight into the mechanisms underlying the immune response to plant-based VLP vaccines for influenza and may contribute to the design of next-generation influenza vaccines.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gregory Fonseca;Brian J Ward

Student:

Partner:

Medicago R&D Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Program: