Polyepitope Vaccine Technology

Creative Biolabs is a world leader in the field of cancer vaccine development. We have excellent polyepitope vaccine technology to construct a polypeptide that links consecutive CTL epitopes together. With our extensive experience and advanced platform, we are therefore confident in offering the best optimization strategies for peptide vaccines. We guarantee the finest results for our customers all over the world.

Polyepitope Technology

The development of effective peptide-based vaccines for use in humans is complex, requiring the presence of peptides presented across a broad range of human HLA types. Although vaccination with full-length antigens offers an alternative to defining CTL epitopes across all HLA types, the nature of the antigen in question can significantly impact on its suitability as a vaccine candidate. Defining and employing multiple CTL epitopes providing broad specificity offers a viable alternative that avoids possible effects associated with toxicity, oncogenicity, and the poor immunogenicity of some full-length antigens. One technique currently under development for the treatment of a number of human diseases involves the construction of a polypeptide that links consecutive CTL epitopes together to produce a polyepitope.

It has become evident from numerous studies that polyepitope-based vaccines can be produced against a range of diseases by simply linking CTL epitopes end-to-end in the absence of appropriate flanking sequences.

Fig.1 Preclinical and clinical development of polyepitope vaccine technology.

The first study to demonstrate that a polyepitope without flanking sequences could be used effectively employed a polypeptide encoded by a recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) vector and expressing nine epitopes derived from Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) that were recognized by six different HLA molecules. The EBV polypeptide was shown to be capable of presenting the epitopes to CTL clones and could be used to expand specific CTLs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of EBV-positive individuals.

Polyepitope-Based Treatment of EBV-Associated Malignancies

Following the initial lytic stage of infection, EBV becomes latent, resulting in the expression of a limited array of antigens, including the EB nuclear antigens (EBNA) 1–6 and LMP1 and LMP2. In addition to the association of lytic EBV infection with infectious mononucleosis, a number of human malignancies can be associated with latent EBV infection, including posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), which arises in immunosuppressed transplant patients. Evidence gained following treatment of PTLD, using CTL expanded following stimulation of PBMC from EBV-positive individuals with EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), has demonstrated that some EBV-associated malignant cells are susceptible to recognition and lysis by specific CTLs.

Creative Biolabs has also extended the use of this technology to other human diseases, include infectious pathogens (e.g., HIV, HBV, HCV, malaria) and human malignancies (e.g., melanoma, breast cancer, and cervical cancer).

We have developed a range of vehicles to deliver polyepitope constructs, including genetic delivery vehicles, such as VV vectors, other poxvirus-based vectors, adenoviral vectors and DNA; and protein-based delivery vehicles such as ISCOMs. One of these polyepitope vaccines, which focuses on generating CTL directed against the latent membrane proteins (LMPs) of EBV, is currently under development for the therapeutic treatment of the EBV-associated malignancies, Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Creative Biolabs is a leader in the field of vaccine development and has focused on the cancer vaccines for years. We have experienced experts and advanced platforms that are able to provide excellent services. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

All of our products can only be used for research purposes. These vaccine ingredients CANNOT be used directly on humans or animals.