1
|
Williams BG, King LDW, Pulido D, Quinkert D, Lias AM, Silk SE, Ragotte RJ, Davies H, Barrett JR, McHugh K, Rigby CA, Alanine DGW, Barfod L, Shea MW, Cowley LA, Dabbs RA, Pattinson DJ, Douglas AD, Lyth OR, Illingworth JJ, Jin J, Carnrot C, Kotraiah V, Christen JM, Noe AR, MacGill RS, King CR, Birkett AJ, Soisson LA, Skinner K, Miura K, Long CA, Higgins MK, Draper SJ. Development of an improved blood-stage malaria vaccine targeting the essential RH5-CyRPA-RIPR invasion complex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4857. [PMID: 38849365 PMCID: PMC11161584 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48721-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Reticulocyte-binding protein homologue 5 (RH5), a leading blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum malaria vaccine target, interacts with cysteine-rich protective antigen (CyRPA) and RH5-interacting protein (RIPR) to form an essential heterotrimeric "RCR-complex". We investigate whether RCR-complex vaccination can improve upon RH5 alone. Using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) we show that parasite growth-inhibitory epitopes on each antigen are surface-exposed on the RCR-complex and that mAb pairs targeting different antigens can function additively or synergistically. However, immunisation of female rats with the RCR-complex fails to outperform RH5 alone due to immuno-dominance of RIPR coupled with inferior potency of anti-RIPR polyclonal IgG. We identify that all growth-inhibitory antibody epitopes of RIPR cluster within the C-terminal EGF-like domains and that a fusion of these domains to CyRPA, called "R78C", combined with RH5, improves the level of in vitro parasite growth inhibition compared to RH5 alone. These preclinical data justify the advancement of the RH5.1 + R78C/Matrix-M™ vaccine candidate to Phase 1 clinical trial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barnabas G Williams
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Lloyd D W King
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - David Pulido
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Doris Quinkert
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Amelia M Lias
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah E Silk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Robert J Ragotte
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Hannah Davies
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Jordan R Barrett
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Kirsty McHugh
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Cassandra A Rigby
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel G W Alanine
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Lea Barfod
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael W Shea
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Li An Cowley
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Rebecca A Dabbs
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - David J Pattinson
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexander D Douglas
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Oliver R Lyth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Joseph J Illingworth
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Jing Jin
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | | | - Amy R Noe
- Leidos Life Sciences, Frederick, MD, USA
- Latham BioPharm Group, Elkridge, MD, USA
| | | | - C Richter King
- Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATH, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ashley J Birkett
- Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, PATH, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Katherine Skinner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Kazutoyo Miura
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID/NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Carole A Long
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID/NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Matthew K Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon J Draper
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Oxford, UK.
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Somanathan A, Mian SY, Chaddha K, Uchoi S, Bharti PK, Tandon R, Gaur D, Chauhan VS. Process development and preclinical evaluation of a major Plasmodium falciparum blood stage vaccine candidate, Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (CyRPA). Front Immunol 2022; 13:1005332. [PMID: 36211427 PMCID: PMC9535676 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1005332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (CyRPA) is an essential, highly conserved merozoite antigen that forms an important multi-protein complex (RH5/Ripr/CyRPA) necessary for erythrocyte invasion. CyRPA is a promising blood-stage vaccine target that has been shown to elicit potent strain-transcending parasite neutralizing antibodies. Recently, we demonstrated that naturally acquired immune anti-CyRPA antibodies are invasion-inhibitory and therefore a correlate of protection against malaria. Here, we describe a process for the large-scale production of tag-free CyRPA vaccine in E. coli and demonstrate its parasite neutralizing efficacy with commonly used adjuvants. CyRPA was purified from inclusion bodies using a one-step purification method with high purity (>90%). Biochemical and biophysical characterization showed that the purified tag-free CyRPA interacted with RH5, readily detected by a conformation-specific CyRPA monoclonal antibody and recognized by sera from malaria infected individuals thus indicating that the recombinant antigen was correctly folded and retained its native conformation. Tag-free CyRPA formulated with Freund’s adjuvant elicited highly potent parasite neutralizing antibodies achieving inhibition of >90% across diverse parasite strains. Importantly, we identified tag-free CyRPA/Alhydrogel formulation as most effective in inducing a highly immunogenic antibody response that exhibited efficacious, cross-strain in vitro parasite neutralization achieving ~80% at 10 mg/ml. Further, CyRPA/Alhydrogel vaccine induced anti-parasite cytokine response in mice. In summary, our study provides a simple, scalable, cost-effective process for the production of tag-free CyRPA that in combination with human-compatible adjuvant induces efficacious humoral and cell-mediated immune response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Somanathan
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Syed Yusuf Mian
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Kritika Chaddha
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Seemalata Uchoi
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Praveen K. Bharti
- ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur, India
| | - Ravi Tandon
- Laboratory of AIDS Research and Immunology, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepak Gaur
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Virander Singh Chauhan
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Virander Singh Chauhan,
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Knudsen AS, Björnsson KH, Bassi MR, Walker MR, Kok A, Cristinoi B, Jensen AR, Barfod L. Strain-Dependent Inhibition of Erythrocyte Invasion by Monoclonal Antibodies Against Plasmodium falciparum CyRPA. Front Immunol 2021; 12:716305. [PMID: 34447381 PMCID: PMC8383283 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.716305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly conserved Plasmodium falciparum cysteine-rich protective antigen (PfCyRPA) is a key target for next-generation vaccines against blood-stage malaria. PfCyRPA constitute the core of a ternary complex, including the reticulocyte binding-like homologous protein 5 (PfRh5) and the Rh5-interacting protein (PfRipr), and is fundamental for merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. In this study, we show that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to PfCyRPA neutralize the in vitro growth of Ghanaian field isolates as well as numerous laboratory-adapted parasite lines. We identified subsets of mAbs with neutralizing activity that bind to distinct sites on PfCyRPA and that in combination potentiate the neutralizing effect. As antibody responses against multiple merozoite invasion proteins are thought to improve the efficacy of blood-stage vaccines, we also demonstrated that combinations of PfCyRPA- and PfRh5 specific mAbs act synergistically to neutralize parasite growth. Yet, we identified prominent strain-dependent neutralization potencies, which our results suggest is independent of PfCyRPA expression level and polymorphism, demonstrating the importance of addressing functional converseness when evaluating blood-stage vaccine candidates. Finally, our results suggest that blood-stage vaccine efficacy can be improved by directing the antibody response towards defined protective epitopes on multiple parasite antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Knudsen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kasper H Björnsson
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maria R Bassi
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Melanie R Walker
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas Kok
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bogdan Cristinoi
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anja R Jensen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lea Barfod
- Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|