Thread by @vipintukur

An exceptionally different vaccine technology that could prove a real turning point!

Studies of a ‘future-proof’ vaccine candidate have shown that just one antigen can be modified to provide a broadly protective immune response in animals. 1/

The studies suggest that a single vaccine with combinations of these antigens could protect against an even greater range of current and future coronaviruses. 2/

The technology, #DIOSynVax (Digitally Immune Optimised Synthetic Vaccines) uses a combination of computational biology, protein structure, immune optimisation & synthetic biology to maximise & widen the protection that vaccines can provide against existing & future viruses 3/

Its vaccine candidates can be deployed in a variety of vaccine delivery & manufacturing platforms. Researchers show a single antigen based on the RBD of spike protein of sarbecoviruses elicits broad humoral responses against SARS1, SARS2, WIV16 and RaTG13 in animals 4/

This new technology instead of targeting just the spike proteins on the virus that change to evade our immune system, targets the critical regions of the virus that it needs to complete its virus life cycle. 5/

The researchers identified these regions through computer simulations and selecting conserved structurally engineered antigens. This approach will allow us to have a vaccine with a broad effect that viruses will have trouble getting around. 6/

Using this approach, the team identified a unique antigen structure that gave a broad-based immune responses against different Sarbeco coronaviruses, the large group of SARS and SARS-CoV-2 related viruses that occur in nature. 7/

The optimised antigen is compatible with all vaccine delivery systems: the research team administered it as a DNA immunogen, an attenuated virus (Modified Vaccinia Ankara), and as an mRNA vaccine 8/

In all cases, the optimised antigen generated a strong immune response in mice, rabbits and guinea pigs against a range of coronaviruses. Based on a strong safety profile, the "first-in-human" clinical trials are ongoing at Southampton & Cambridge research facilities 9/

Unlike current vaccines that use wild-type viruses or parts of viruses that have caused trouble in the past, this technology combines lessons learned from nature’s mistakes and aims to protect us from the future. 10/

These optimised synthetic antigens generate broad immune responses, targeted to the key sites of the virus that can’t change easily. It opens the door for vaccines against viruses that we don’t yet know about. This is an exceptionally different vaccine technology. 11/

The DIOSynVax pipeline includes vaccine candidates for influenza viruses, haemorrhagic fever viruses, and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, the latter of which is currently in clinical trials. 12/

nature.com/articles/s4155…