Value Proposition:
· Creates a programmable immunostimulatory niche.
· Allows for tailor-made immune responses to vaccines and antigens.
· Flexible drug delivery platform enables mRNA therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancers.
· Applicable to existing mRNA vaccines for improved efficacy.
· Can be utilized for novel vaccines under development, including personalized mRNA cancer vaccines.
Unmet Need:
Vaccines are one of the most administered pharmaceuticals. The CDC estimates that for Covid-19 alone over 600 million vaccines were administered in the US between their development and May 2023, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of mRNA vaccines. These vaccines are delivered using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), a key component of the vaccine formulation that regulates which cells take up the vaccine. One challenge facing mRNA vaccines is the activation of specific immune cell subsets to produce a desired immune response, such as causing CD8+ killer T cells to target tumor cells or virally infected cells. As such, there is a high demand for improvements to vaccine delivery that can induce specific immune responses.
Technology Description:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed nanofiber-hydrogel composite LNPs for mRNA vaccine or drug delivery. The composite can be customized to generate specific immune responses, such as recruiting specific cells to the injection site. This allows for targeted vaccination strategies to ensure the proper immune cell populations are activated. The hydrogel can regulate the release of LNPs over time and serve as a congregation site for immune cells. These aspects offer a significant improvement over existing LNP technology, and this creates an opportunity to improve mRNA vaccine efficacy.
Stage of Development:
· Preclinical stage: researchers have demonstrated improved immune cell-specific activation and animal survival following anti-cancer vaccination in mice.
Data Availability:
· Data available upon request.
Publication:
Zhu Y, et al. Screening for lipid nanoparticles that modulate the immune activity of helper T cells towards enhanced antitumour activity. Nat Biomed Eng. 2024 May;8(5):544-560. doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01131-0. Epub 2023 Dec 11. PMID: 38082180; PMCID: PMC11162325.
