We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ARAB HEALTH - INFORMA

Download Mobile App





Self-Assembling Nanoparticle Technology Could Be Game Changer for COVID-19 Vaccine Development

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 16 May 2020
Print article
Image: An atomic model of one of the NSP Covid-19 Nanoparticle vaccine candidates displaying the SARS CoV-2 spike protein (Photo courtesy of Predictive Oncology)
Image: An atomic model of one of the NSP Covid-19 Nanoparticle vaccine candidates displaying the SARS CoV-2 spike protein (Photo courtesy of Predictive Oncology)
A ground-breaking novel nanoparticle vaccine technology based on a self-assembling nanoparticle could prove to be a game changer for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The novel nanoparticle vaccine technology platform recently developed by Dr. Daniel Carter is based on a self-assembling nanoparticle called NSP10 which has special surface properties that allow for the rapid design and display of viral receptor stems for virtually any virus, making it extremely versatile. The novel nanoparticle vaccine technology platform has been licensed to Predictive Oncology (Minneapolis, MN, USA), which has entered the race to develop a COVID19 vaccine.

Previous vaccine studies of NSP10-based Nanoparticles in rabbits produced exceptionally high titers against a herpes viral protein called glycoprotein D, normally non-highly antigenic (Titer refers to the number of times the blood serum can be diluted and still react with the virus antigen). Titers in this case ranged from 1:1,000 with a simple injection of 500 micrograms of plasmid DNA, to as much as 1:25,000 after a second booster (third injection) - all without the use of adjuvants or transfection agents. This is unprecedented and revolutionary for a DNA vaccine. The exact reasons why the NSP10-based Nanoparticles exhibit these properties is still a subject of study, but scientists know that nanoparticles are processed differently by the immune system and smaller nanoparticles can often produce higher titers – NSP is one of the smallest currently evaluated.

The level of titer is important for many reasons, for example, earlier animal experiments with vaccines focused on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) found that low antibody levels could potentially lead to dysfunctional immune responses, increasing infection and damaging the lungs. In addition to enhanced protective immunity, stronger titers mean that it takes less vaccine per dose which has added advantages in safety and production scale. In the case of NSP10-based vaccines, as it translates to humans, this could mean that a single gram of plasmid DNA can potentially immunize as many as 2,000 people, perhaps more.

According to Dr. Carter, “this suggests that if we see similar titers in humans, no atypical resources or capabilities are required to manufacture the vaccine at a sufficient scale to impact the pandemic.” For example, a single bacterial fermentation at commercial scale can in a span of two to three days, produce enough raw material to eventually immunize millions of people - “merge this with the well-established processes for purifying injectable-grade plasmid DNA (which can also be done in short order) and you have the potential for a disruptive game changing technology,” added Dr. Carter.

Related Links:
Predictive Oncology

Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
New
X-ray Diagnostic System
FDX Visionary-A
New
Medical-Grade POC Terminal
POC-821

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The surgical team and the Edge Multi-Port Endoscopic Surgical Robot MP1000 surgical system (Photo courtesy of Wei Zhang)

Endoscopic Surgical System Enables Remote Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

Telemedicine enables patients in remote areas to access consultations and treatments, overcoming challenges related to the uneven distribution and availability of medical resources. However, the execution... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The portable biosensor platform uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of AIMPLAS)

Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The acoustic pipette uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood (Photo courtesy of Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)

Handheld, Sound-Based Diagnostic System Delivers Bedside Blood Test Results in An Hour

Patients who go to a doctor for a blood test often have to contend with a needle and syringe, followed by a long wait—sometimes hours or even days—for lab results. Scientists have been working hard to... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.