Synthetic Bacterial Vesicles Engineered for Immunotherapeutic Purposes

Gram negative bacteria naturally release outer membrane vesicles (OMV), that in infected individuals spread inflammatory messages in the form of LPS and other molecules throughout the body. The OMVs are sufficiently inflammatory to induce sepsis like disease and death, without presence of live bacteria.

The severe side-effects of bacterial membrane vesicles would be an interesting platform to create bacterial vaccines, adjuvants to viral vaccines and even as an immunostimulant in cancer.

We have discovered a way to efficiently reduce or eliminate the toxicity of bacterial membranes,  without losing their immunoregulatory function.

We manufacture synthetic bacterial vesicles (SyBV) from isolated bacterial membranes, using a novel process that efficiently eliminate some bacterial membrane components.

The SyBV from a pathogenic E. coli can be given in vivo at doses 50 times higher than OMVs, without signs of severe inflammation.We have developed two experimental vaccines against E. coli and P. aeruginosa using SyBV, and one against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Lastly, we have utilized the SyBV as immunooncology tools, and been able to induce tumor immunity, with associated slowed tumor growth, in multiple cancer models.This project will determine which critical components that are important for the retained immunogenicity, but reduced toxicity, of the SyBV.

We will also engineer the SyBV to develop additional vaccine candidates, and to improve their immunooncology function.