A 2017 AAPS Foundation fellowship recipient focuses on developing a ricin-anthrax vaccine.
Yangjie Wei is a graduate student at the University of Kansas working on a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry under the guidance of Russ Middaugh, Ph.D. With the support of the AAPS Foundation, Wei can continue his research on lumazine synthase as a nanoplatform for developing a ricin-anthrax combination vaccine.
Ricin and anthrax toxins could potentially be used as biothreat agents against the public. There is, however, no Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine or antidote against ricin, and the only licensed vaccine against anthrax, BioThrax, requires a burdensome vaccination schedule (five injections over 18 months). Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective vaccines to protect the military, first responders, and the public from the threat of ricin and anthrax.
Polyvalent antigen display has become a powerful strategy to greatly enhance the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines. This strategy results in a high local density of antigens, strong interactions with immune cells, and highly effective vaccines. Lumazine synthase derived from B. Anthracis (BaLS) has an icosahedral symmetry and was chosen as a delivery platform for polyvalent antigen display of linear neutralizing epitopes from ricin and anthrax.
The potential of BaLS as an antigen presentation platform is studied for the first time. The goal of this project is to develop a class of safe and highly immunogenic BaLS-based combination vaccines against ricin and anthrax which could offer long-lasting protection and require fewer clinical visits.
I envision myself as a scientist striving to develop safe, effective, and stable vaccines. I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the AAPS Foundation. This prestigious fellowship will provide me with more opportunities to explore my research and will also sponsor me with an AAPS travelship to share my work with fellow researchers.
Please help us support future scientists like Yangjie Wei by donating to the AAPS Foundation. Your gift will not only impact research but improve global health. Donate today!