PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles

2014-01-07
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michelle Ma
mcma@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles

Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives.

University of Washington engineers hope a new type of vaccine they have shown to work in mice will one day make it cheaper and easy to manufacture on-demand vaccines for humans. Immunizations could be administered within minutes where and when a disease is breaking out.

"We're really excited about this technology because it makes it possible to produce a vaccine on the spot. For instance, a field doctor could see the beginnings of an epidemic, make vaccine doses right away, and blanket vaccinate the entire population in the affected area to prevent the spread of an epidemic," said François Baneyx, a UW professor of chemical engineering and lead author of a recent paper published online in the journal Nanomedicine.

The research was funded by a Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

In typical vaccines, weakened pathogens or proteins found on the surface of microbes and viruses are injected into the body along with compounds called adjuvants to prepare a person's immune system to fight a particular disease. But standard formulations don't always work, and the field is seeking ways to manufacture vaccines quicker, cheaper and tailored to specific infectious agents, Baneyx said.

The UW team injected mice with nanoparticles synthesized using an engineered protein that both mimics the effect of an infection and binds to calcium phosphate, the inorganic compound found in teeth and bones. After eight months, mice that contracted the disease made threefold the number of protective "killer" T-cells – a sign of a long-lasting immune response – compared with mice that had received the protein but no calcium phosphate nanoparticles.

The nanoparticles appear to work by ferrying the protein to the lymph nodes where they have a higher chance of meeting dendritic cells, a type of immune cell that is scarce in the skin and muscles, but plays a key role in activating strong immune responses.

In a real-life scenario, genetically engineered proteins based on those displayed at the surface of pathogens would be freeze-dried or dehydrated and mixed with water, calcium and phosphate to make the nanoparticles. This should work with many different diseases and be especially useful for viral infections that are hard to vaccinate against, Baneyx said.

He cautioned, however, that it has only been proven in mice, and the development of vaccines using this method hasn't begun for humans.

The approach could be useful in the future for vaccinating people in developing countries, especially when lead time and resources are scarce, Baneyx said. It would cut costs by not having to rely on refrigeration, and vaccines could be produced with rudimentary equipment in more precise, targeted numbers. The vaccines could be manufactured and delivered using a disposable patch, like a bandage, which could one day lessen the use of trained personnel and hypodermic needles.



INFORMATION:

Co-authors of the paper are Weibin Zhou, Albanus Moguche and David Chiu of the UW, and Kaja Murali-Krishna of Emory University.

For more information, contact Baneyx at baneyx@uw.edu or 206-685-7659.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Newly discovered 3-star system to challenge Einstein's theory of General Relativity

2014-01-07
Newly discovered 3-star system to challenge Einstein's theory of General Relativity A newly discovered system of two white dwarf stars and a superdense pulsar--all packed within a space smaller than the Earth's orbit around the sun -- is enabling astronomers to probe ...

Embargoed news from Jan. 6, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet

2014-01-07
Embargoed news from Jan. 6, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet Mediterranean diet without weight loss helps prevent diabetes 1. Mediterranean diet reduces diabetes incidence without calorie restriction, exercise, or weight loss Older patients at ...

New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!)

2014-01-07
New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!) New fossils from Belgium have shed light on the origin of some of the most well-known, and well-loved, modern mammals. Cats and dogs, as well as other carnivorous mammals ...

People lacking insurance not likely to migrate to obtain Medicaid coverage

2014-01-07
People lacking insurance not likely to migrate to obtain Medicaid coverage States choosing Medicaid expansion shouldn't expect costly influx of individuals from states not expanding coverage; other studies examine accountable care organizations and communication-and-resolution ...

1 in, 1 out: Oxford study shows how people put a limit on their social networks

2014-01-07
1 in, 1 out: Oxford study shows how people put a limit on their social networks A new study shows that people put most effort into communicating with small numbers of close friends or family, operating unconscious 1-in, 1-out policies so that communication patterns ...

Workplace wellness programs can cut chronic illness costs

2014-01-07
Workplace wellness programs can cut chronic illness costs But savings for lifestyle changes are smaller Workplace wellness programs can lower health care costs in workers with chronic diseases, but components of the programs that encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles ...

Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to a bony future

2014-01-07
Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to a bony future Researchers discover exactly how calcium phosphate can coax stem cells to become bone-building cells With the help of biomimetic matrices, a research team led by bioengineers at the University of California, ...

Green spaces deliver lasting mental health benefits

2014-01-07
Green spaces deliver lasting mental health benefits Green space in towns and cities could lead to significant and sustained improvements in mental health, finds a new study published in the journal of Environmental Science & Technology ...

Nomogram to determine individualized estimates of screen-detected prostate cancer overdiagnosis

2014-01-07
Nomogram to determine individualized estimates of screen-detected prostate cancer overdiagnosis Using a nomogram that incorporates age, Gleason score, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis, individual risks that a screen-detected ...

Study examines meditation programs of psychological well-being

2014-01-07
Study examines meditation programs of psychological well-being Mindfulness meditation programs may help reduce anxiety, depression and pain in some individuals, according to a review of medical literature by Madhav Goyal, M.D., M.P.H., of The Johns Hopkins University, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles