Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Sheetij Dutta, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Friday, February 3, 2023
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building and Via Zoom
Patricia Lorenzana
301-405-1935
plorenza@umd.edu
Structure-based development of a second-generation malaria vaccines
Sheetij Dutta, Chief Structural Vaccinology Lab, Biologics Research and Development Core, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Silver Spring MD 20910.
RTS,S/AS01, the most advanced malaria vaccine contains the recombinant Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) adjuvanted with a potent adjuvant AS01 (GSK). Phase III trials with RTS,S reveal a range of protection between 30-50% against clinical malaria but the level of protection wanes rapidly after the first year. Alternative strategies to improve a CSP vaccines include broadening the immune response to epitopes not included in the RTS,S construct and vaccines that can focus the immune response towards protective epitopes defined by human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from protected individuals. Proof-of-concept second-generation immune-focused vaccines are being designed using the the Tobacco Mosaic Virus epitope display VLP platform. Development of structure-based vaccines that recapitulate the inhibitory effects of highly inhibitory mAbs by active vaccination will be discussed