Rational design of an optimized ferritin nanoparticle vaccine targeting both SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #ferritin
- #nanoparticle vaccine
- #coronavirus
- AI-guided structural modeling introduced disulfide bonds into Helicobacter pylori ferritin (HPF), creating variant HPF(I69C) with enhanced stability and homogeneity.
- HPF(I69C) was functionalized using a molecular glue system to display SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV RBDs, either as mixed particles or dimeric RBDs on single nanoparticles.
- Bivalent nanoparticle vaccines elicited higher RBD-specific and neutralizing antibody titers compared to monomeric/dimeric controls, along with increased B cell and polyfunctional T cell responses.
- Vaccination protected hACE2 and hDPP4 transgenic mice against authentic SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV challenges, with no observed systemic abnormalities.
- The engineered HPF(I69C) platform supports development of stable, multivalent nanoparticle vaccines against coronaviruses, enabling scalable manufacturing and long-term storage.