SBIR BASE YEAR - TOPIC 130 ADJUVANT DISCOVERY AND DOWN-SELECTION FOR VACCINES AGAINST INFECTIOUS AND IMMUNE-MEDIATED DISEASES

Adjuvants are a crucial component of vaccines that improve or modulate antigen-specific immune responses induced by the co-administered antigen(s). The long-term objective of the proposed research is to discover new saponin adjuvants to complement the existing adjuvants for human and veterinary vaccine applications. The discovery of VSA-1 and VSA-2 saponin adjuvants has demonstrated the feasibility of providing a practical alternative to QS-21 through structural modification of readily available and sustainable natural products. In this proposal, Adjuvax LLC will systematically explore the impact of structural variation on the adjuvant properties of VSA analogs. The proposal outlines three technical objectives: (1) the design and synthesis of new VSA analogs, (2) in vitro evaluation of the new VSA analogs, and (3) in vivo evaluation of the new VSA analogs. The expect results include (i) an improved understanding of structure-activity relationship of the VSA series of saponin adjuvants, paving the way to the rational design of more powerful saponin adjuvants, and (ii) the discovery of new VSA-related saponin adjuvants with higher activity or different activity profiles compared to VSA-1 and VSA-2.