Team:CGU Taiwan/Design
Design
Project Design
Leijuvant is a whole new kind of adjuvant that uses Leishmania as an effective T cell stimulator. Leishmania is a parasite that specifically lives within macrophage, a professional antigen presenting cell (APC). As a potential vaccine adjuvant, Leishmania possess many advantages, including APC recruitment, pattern recognition receptor (PRR) activation, inflammasome activation, activation of MHC-presenting pathway and most important of all, T cell activation. We adapted a combinational approach by loading the Leishmania DT mutants both endogenously and exogenously with different chemicals. After the chemicals are illuminated by specific wavelength of light, double-photo inactivation will kill Leishmania thoroughly. Thus, transgenic mutant of Leishmania that can be inactivated by light exposure acts as a safe carrier to deliver specific antigens to APCs.
Photo-inactivated Leishmania has been proven to activate CD8 and CD4 T cells. However, further activation of B cells has not been confirmed. As a vaccine adjuvant, persistent antibody production against specific antigen is an essential parameter in evaluating vaccine efficacy. B cell needs the stimulation from both the intact antigen and antigen-specific CD4 T cell simultaneously in order to differentiate into plasma cell in producing antibodies.Therefore, we hypothesized that genetically engineered Leishmania that express specific antigen can serve as an adjuvant that deliver antigens into APCs.
The photo-inactivated Leishmania will be engulfed by APCs and activate T cells via MHC molecules. With the company of intact vaccine antigen, they can stimulate B cell form both ways and induce antibody production.
The photo-inactivated Leishmania will be engulfed by APCs and activate T cells via MHC molecules. With the company of intact vaccine antigen, they can stimulate B cell form both ways and induce antibody production.
