Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a very versatile vaccination tool that can be used as a nanoparticle delivery vehicle for heterologous antigen molecules. Based on this, we can use VLPs as particle scaffolds to demonstrate and deliver specific tumor-associated MHC complex antigens to develop cancer vaccines with enhanced safety and scalability. Creative BioMart offers services for the development of novel VLP cancer vaccines, a solution consisting of engineered viral proteins encoding tumor-associated antigenic peptides that modify VLP to stimulate specific T-cell responses for immunotherapeutic effects.

VLPs as MHC Complex Scaffolds

VLPs are supramolecular complexes formed by viral proteins that are non-infectious due to the lack of viral genomic packaging within the particles, and are therefore characterized by a stable, uniform and repetitive structure that has multiple uses in the field of biomedical research. VLP vaccines often fully activate the immune system of the vaccine recipient because, with their uptake by antigen-presenting cells, VLPs can be efficiently loaded onto two classes of MHC molecules, which exhibit highly repetitive antigenic epitopes and stimulate powerful cellular and humoral immune responses.

Fig.1 VLP-based vaccines and induction of T-cell responses (Mohsen M O, et al., 2019)

Tumor-associated antigens of cancer, including some MHC-like restricted T-cell epitopes, can be inserted into VLPs to improve the therapeutic efficiency of cancer vaccines. In the case of natural viruses, these chimeric VLPs can be presented by dendritic cells and subsequently activate a strong anti-cancer immune response, thereby improving immune efficiency.

Innovative Solutions

VLP vaccines are a promising area for a wide range of applications, and our innovative solution is embedded in tumor-associated MHC complexes that can be transported and presented to T cells via VPL to trigger a safe and enhanced anti-cancer immune response. The specific project flow is shown in the figure below.

Fig.2 Project process for VLP vaccine development

We help address the challenges of VLP-based cancer vaccine development, including custom synthesis of tumor-associated MHC complexes, as well as the feasibility and protection of selected epitopes, issues regarding VLP expression systems, embedding methods, and quality control of synthetic packaging to continuously improve the efficacy and utility of vaccine development.

Our Development Strategies

We offer services for VLP-based cancer vaccine-related programs that enable the development of vaccines that selectively elicit strong immune responses against tumor cells, and our solutions can target various types of cancers and drive progress in the development of VLP-based cancer vaccines.

• Liver cancer. VLP vaccine strategy for HBV, HCV-derived VLP embedded in hepatocellular carcinoma-associated antigens.
• Cervical cancer. VLP vaccine strategy for inserting MHC class II-restricted T cell epitopes into HPV-associated VLP.
• Breast cancer. VLP vaccine strategy for Her2 modification and integration into enveloped influenza VLP.
• Other cancers. VLP-based cancer vaccine strategies with various MHC complex antigens integrated into derived VLPs.

Creative BioMart builds the foundation for the successful development of your cancer vaccine program, meeting the requirements for safety, reliability and efficacy of the vaccine and advancing its approval and commercial use. If you would like to start your specific project, contact us today for an optimal proposal.

References

• Mohsen M O, et al. "Virus-like particles for vaccination against cancer." Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology (2019),12.1.
• Hui K O, et al. "Virus like particles as a platform for cancer vaccine development." PeerJ (2017), 5,1.