Journal of Autoimmune Disorders

Heterologous Expression Platforms for Developing New Generation Vaccines for Emerging Viral Infections- Athmaram Thimmasandra Narayanappa- Thermo Fisher Scientific

The increased demand for recombinant vaccine antigens or immunotherapeutic molecules has resulted in exploration of highly efficient and cost-effective heterologous expression systems. It is practically impossible to have a universal expression platform for vaccines and therapeutic proteins and hence there is a constant evolution of traditional expression systems, including E.coli, yeast, plant, insect cells, mammalian cells and cell free systems. One can select an appropriate expression system based on the protein structure, ease of expression, posttranslational modifications, desired immunological response, protein yield, cost of production, etc. With the advancement of molecular engineering techniques and bioinformatics tools, fine-tuning of existing systems for the production of next generation viral vaccines are reaching maturity. However, there is an increasing demand for any breakthrough innovations that provide rapid, efficient, robust, safe and cost-effective solutions. Different antigenic proteins ranging from single protein based subunit vaccine for Pandemic flu, African horse sickness and Bluetongue to multi-protein based virus like particles of Bluetongue and Chikungunya viruses were made employing various expression systems like E.coli, yeast, plant and insect cells. The resultant vaccine candidates were tested for their biological activity and elicitation of immunological responses in animal models. Selection of an appropriate expression host for producing vaccine was made based on their effectiveness and manufacturing feasibility. Our data suggests that every protein is unique, and would require a dedicated strategy that ensures its optimal expression and biological activity. With the ongoing emerging and re-emerging viral outbreaks, it’s extremely important to explore all possible expression systems for rapid selection of an ideal platform for quick development of vaccines to address any urgent medical needs.

Author(s):

Athmaram Thimmasandra Narayanappa

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