A Nano-pharmaceutical Platform for Creating Artificial Vaccines

In this project, Parabon NanoLabs (PNL) will demonstrate the feasibility of extending its Essemblix(tm) Drug Development Platform, a combination of computer-aided design (CAD) software and DNA nano-fabrication technology, to produce Essemblix-V, a platform for creating artificial vaccines from a predefined set of"building block molecules"assembled on DNA origami. Given an epitope for a potential biothreat agent, Essemblix-V will allow the production of artificial epitopes (hereafter"mimotopes") that can mimic the original epitope sufficiently to bind target antibodies with high affinity. Additionally, Essemblix-V will allow mimotopes to be arranged on origami in complex presentation patterns known to elicit rapid and potent immune response via T cell-independent activation. As a proof of concept, PNL will demonstrate the feasibility of (i) enhancing its existing inSequio(tm) CAD software to support the design of mimotopes with building block molecules; and (ii) modulating, through rational design, the charge distribution and hydrophobicity of specific mimotopes, since these attributes can affect conformation and stability. Prototype mimotopes will be created for /Borrelia burgdorferi/ and ricin toxin and their affinity to specific monoclonal antibodies will be demonstrated via ELISA assay. In Phase 2, artificial vaccines will be created for theses targets and evaluated in a murine model.