Vaccine design and development to improve immune responses to viral diseases and cancer

Summary The overall aim of our research is to combine these new technologies for an integrated, preclinical evaluation of novel calcium phosphate nanoparticle vaccines and compare their ability to induce CTL responses via mucosal or parenteral immunisation.

Project Details

We have demonstrated that nanoparticles are effective mucosal vaccine delivery vehicles and that different pattern recognition receptor (PRR) ligands used to functionalise antigen loaded nanoparticles enhance or abrogate CTL, Th1 and Th2 responses depending on the combination used1. Our research has shown that protein-coated and PRR functionalised nanoparticles are more rapidly phagocytosed and induce stronger CTL and Th cell immune responses1-3. Finally we have developed a novel and reliable method for producing different sized calcium phosphate nanoparticles that has applicability for a broad range of subunit vaccines. The overall aim of our research is to combine these new technologies for an integrated, preclinical evaluation of novel calcium phosphate nanoparticle vaccines and compare their ability to induce CTL responses via mucosal or parenteral immunisation. We have three areas of research which we would like to recruit Honours, Masters and PhD students too, these are;

1. To determine the immuno-stimulatory capability of antigen and molecular adjuvant loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles in vitro.
2. To determine the immuno-stimulatory capability of calcium phosphate nanoparticle vaccines in vivo.
3. To evaluate the efficacy of calcium phosphate nanoparticles as mucosal vaccines to induce protective CTL responses.