Team:Wageningen UR/ModifyingtheHepatitisB
From 2012.igem.org
Contents |
Part 2: Modifying the Hepatitis B VLP for Vaccine Production
Introduction
The focus for the Hepatitis B VLP will be on vaccine production as final application. The final goal is to obtain a modified and bricked VLP containing an epitope. As a proof of principle we will link GFP to the outside and check the GFP with ELISA. GFP will be attached on the outside in two different ways: By fusion to the monomer of the VLP and via the K/E coil system.
Aims: Attach epitopes to the outside of the Hepatitis B VLP in order to make vaccines for pathogens other than Hepatitis B. Giving a proof of principle with GFP. Compare two different ways of attaching the GFP to the outside of the VLP.
Outside Modification of the Hepatitis B VLP
To aid in a better and quicker response to newly emerging pathogens, a more standardized approach of vaccine production could help in containing pandemic outbreaks. Faster reaction in vaccine development and production could be achieved with a universal approach and giving vaccine developers the opportunity to adapt their process better to the demand using the newly developed Quality by Design approach. The focus will be on providing a universal approach for a connector system. The aim is to create a “Plug 'N Apply System". The concept is that only the epitopes need to be selected and produced, after which they can be applied upon one standard vaccination platform. These epitopes are fused to connector peptides. The production will be one standardized synthetic biology procedure, and produced in a single, production friendly organism. The connector peptide is able to “plug onto” a standardized platform, which then provides an expression surface ready for immunization of subjects. The standardized platform can be produced as a bulk reservoir to provide massive reserves of backbone for a sudden explosive demand of vaccine. The industry can shift their production according to the demand by solely selecting the epitope that they fuse to the connector. This will provide more flexibility and quicker response to emerging pathogenic threats