Lars Malmström
Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health and development threat. Vaccines are the most effective single measure to protect populations against infectious diseases. They are also predicted to play a critical role in reducing the development of AMR by preventing carriage and infection, reducing transmission of pathogens between individuals, and minimizing reservoirs for the emergence and spread of AMR bacteria. There are currently few available vaccines against bacteria, and there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to catalyze the development of novel vaccine strategies. We have developed a generic workflow to design and produce a novel class of multivalent self-assembling protein-based nanoparticle vaccines. These vaccines are designed to display several of the most important antigens required for immunity in a flexible and adaptable manner. As a result, the vaccines can significantly improve the level, persistence, and range of protection and elicit a more beneficial immune response than traditional vaccines. In addition, the design is flexible and can be adapted to other bacterial pathogens. In ongoing work, we have produced the first nanoparticle vaccine candidate directed against Streptococcus pyogenes, one of the most significant bacterial pathogens in the human population.
