Development of membrane anchored cytokines as novel vaccine adjuvants for the elderly

Metaclipse Therapeutics Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The contractor will use engineered versions of IL-12 and GM-CSF as adjuvants. The engineered version of IL-12 and GM-CSF include a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor at the carboxyl terminal which permits their incorporation into lipid bilayers such as influenza viral like particles (VLP). The development of the adjuvant will be in the context of influenza in elderly populations. The specific tasks include the (1) in vitro and (2) in vivo establishment of an immunological profile of activity to evaluate the capability of the adjuvant.