Researchers from MIT and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard have made a significant breakthrough in vaccine development. They have created a vaccine using a virus-like delivery particle made from DNA, which has shown promise in inducing a strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2.
The vaccine, tested in mice, utilizes a DNA scaffold carrying multiple copies of a viral antigen, resembling the structure of a virus. Unlike previous particulate vaccines that relied on protein scaffolds, this DNA scaffold does not elicit an unnecessary immune response, allowing the immune system to focus its antibody response on the target antigen.
Mark Bathe, an MIT professor of biological engineering, highlighted the significance of this approach, stating, “DNA, we found in this work, does not elicit antibodies that may distract away from the protein of interest. What you can imagine is that your B cells and immune system are being fully trained by that target antigen, and that’s what you want—for your immune system to be laser-focused on the antigen of interest.”
The researchers believe that this approach, which strongly stimulates B cells, could lead to the development of vaccines against challenging viruses such as HIV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the induced B cells can offer long-term protection, unlike T cells stimulated by other types of vaccines.
Daniel Lingwood, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator at the Ragon Institute, expressed their interest in exploring the potential of this approach in delivering higher levels of immunity against pathogens that resist conventional vaccine approaches. Lingwood stated, “This idea of decoupling the response against the target antigen from the platform itself is a potentially powerful immunological trick that one can now bring to bear to help those immunological targeting decisions move in a direction that is more focused.”
The paper, authored by Mark Bathe, Daniel Lingwood, and Aaron Schmidt, has been published in Nature Communications, signifying a significant advancement in vaccine development.
