A plant leaf expressing a measles vaccine fused to green fluorescent protein.
Optimising the oral delivery of DNA vaccines
Oral delivery of DNA vaccines combines the advantages of oral delivery with those of DNA vaccines, including long-lasting immunity, low development costs, increased stability and optimal protein folding. This project investigated the potential of an attenuated strain of Salmonella typhimurium for the oral delivery of DNA vaccines. Salmonella are ideal candidates for vaccine delivery as they are invasive, can be delivered orally, numerous strains are available and their genetics have been thoroughly studied. Salmonella have been used to orally deliver a range of vaccine antigens from a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic sources with varying levels of success. Work was undertaken to optimise and improve oral vaccine delivery by Salmonella and increase efficiency of DNA delivery to host cells. Areas being targeted include plasmid stability and choice of Salmonella strain. We envisage a future vaccination strategy that uses an oral Salmonella-DNA delivery system to prime the immune response, and orally delivered plant-based vaccines for boosting.
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