PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of veterinary peptide/nanoparticle-based vaccine against bovine paratuberculosis

In addition to human medical applications, there are also a wide range of veterinary applications for biodegradable polymers. Paratuberculosis is a costly disease of the bovine small intestine which occurs with high prevalence in US dairy herds. Currently available vaccines do not provide complete protection from infection due to poor immune activation. Attenuated virus vaccines against Paratuberculosis can only be used in sheep as they cause cross-reactivity in cattle. For this reason, dairy farmers have relatively little recourse against this disease to protect their herds. Recently, researchers working jointly at Washington State University, the US department of agriculture, and Alexandria University (Egypt) used PLGA from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) (PolyVivo AP054) to create peptide-based vaccine (rather than killed or attenuated-virus) loaded nanoparticles for improved effectiveness. This research holds promise to improve dairy cattle disease resistance which will ensure a more sustainable food supply. Read more: Souza, Cleverson D., John P. Bannantine, Wendy C. Brown, M. Grant Norton, William C. Davis, Julianne K. Hwang, Parissa Ziaei et al. "A nano particle vector comprised of poly lactic‐co‐glycolic acid and monophosphoryl lipid A and recombinant Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis peptides stimulate a pro‐immune profile in bovine macrophages." Journal of Applied Microbiology (2017). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jam.13491/full

“Abstract: Aims: We evaluated the potential of a nanoparticle (NP) delivery system to improve methods of delivery of candidate peptide based vaccines for Paratuberculosis in cattle. Methods and Results: Peptides derived from Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (Map), and the proinflammatory monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) were incorporated in polymeric NPs based on poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). The PLGA/MPLA NPs carriers were incubated with macrophages to examine their effects on survival and function. PLGA/MPLA NPs, with and without Map antigens, are efficiently phagocytized by macrophages with no evidence of toxicity. PLGA/MPLA NP formulations did not alter the level of expression of MHC I or II molecules. Expression of TNFα and IL12p40 was increased in Map loaded NPs. T cell proliferation studies using a model peptide from Anaplasma marginale demonstrated that a CD4 T cell recall response could be elicited with macrophages pulsed with the peptide encapsulated in the PLGA/MPLA NP. Conclusions: These findings indicate PLGA/MPLA NPs can be used as a vehicle for delivery and testing of candidate peptide based vaccines. Keywords: PLGA ; monophosphoryl lipid A; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis; Anaplasma marginale ; peptide vaccine”