Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) as vaccines and antitoxins.
We have generated VNPs that display T-cell epitopes on the surface in a multivalent fashion. These VNPs can be taken up into several types of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) including dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages in vitro, and we also find localization of VNPs to APCs in vivo via the oral or intravenous routes. We are also developing combination inhibitor/vaccine approaches for other viral and bacterial pathogens. Finally we have shown that soluble pathogen receptors are protective against lethal bacterial toxin challenge in vivo, and are currently studying the efficacy of multivalent arrays of these receptor decoy domains on VNPs for both antitoxin and vaccine approaches.
