Publications by authors named "Nick Matheson"
Immunogen design approaches aim to control the specificity and quality of antibody responses elicited by next-generation vaccines. Here, we use computational protein design to generate a nanoparticle vaccine platform based on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of influenza hemagglutinin (HA) that enables precise control of antigen conformation and spacing. HA RBDs are presented as either monomers or native-like closed trimers that are connected to the underlying nanoparticle by a rigid linker that is modularly extended to precisely control antigen spacing.
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- Immunogen design seeks to enhance antibody responses for effective vaccines, though our understanding of how immunogen structure affects immune responses remains limited.
- Researchers created a self-assembling nanoparticle vaccine using the head domain of influenza hemagglutinin (HA) to control the arrangement and flexibility of antigens.
- The study found that closer spacing of trimeric HA antigens on the nanoparticle improved the efficacy of antibody responses, suggesting that antigen spacing is crucial for developing better vaccines against influenza and other viruses.
Article Synopsis
- Influenza vaccines that offer broad and long-lasting protection could significantly improve global health by reducing the need for yearly vaccine updates.
- Researchers developed nanoparticle immunogens designed to trigger strong and versatile antibody responses against a range of influenza viruses.
- These new immunogens displayed multiple haemagglutinins, resulting in better antibody responses compared to traditional vaccines and targeting important conserved regions, making them promising candidates for future universal influenza vaccines.