Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Biodegradable silica matrix: A novel vaccine delivery pathway for an optimal immune response

4^th International conference on Vaccines, Vaccination and Immunization

August 18-19, 2023 | Webinar

Asmaa McGowan

PhD, DelSiTech Ltd, Finland

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Vaccine development have revolutionized disease prevention through decades of research, saving millions of lives every year1. Antigen availability and presentation are key factors that shape the quality of T cell priming and B cell activation leading to an efficient antigen-specific immune response2. The ideal vaccine would require a single administration and induce the needed long-lasting protection. Despite the progress made in vaccinology, we are not there yet. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Being approved by the FDA as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS), amorphous silica is a common drug delivery excipient for oral and topical formulations. DelSiTech Ltd has taken non-porous and biodegradable silica a step ahead and developed a patent-protected technology for encapsulating vaccine formulations to ensure a sustained antigen release. Findings: Protein and peptide encapsulation using silica microparticles-silica hydrogel was shown to be successful. Subcutaneous injection of the protein or peptide formulation led to a systemic sustained payload release for the targeted availability period. The encapsulated molecules showed similar conformation and function to the naked form (Figure 1), indicating that silica encapsulation doesn’t interfere with the protein and peptide structure or function3,4,5. Conclusion & Significance: Silica-encapsulation of vaccine antigen may present a new modality of vaccine delivery and could be a potential approach to induce potent immune responses by increasing the temporal availability of the antigen. This is especially helpful due to the compatibility of the technology with several vaccine antigen types..

Biography :

Asmaa McGowan is an expert in B cell responses and immunology. She obtained her PhD in immunology in 2016 from the University of Lübeck, Germany, after which she joined the school of medicine at Yale University for her postdoctoral research. Asmaa led the B cell recovery team within antibody discovery at Janssen R&D, until she moved to Finland and joined DelSitech’s business development department in January 2023, where she focuses on drug and vaccine delivery, and Silica-based delivery technologies