Vaccines are currently used to prevent many infectious diseases. However, by themselves many antigens are unable to induce adequate protective immune response. We propose to improve the efficacy of vaccines by the use of superantigens. This Phase I proposal outlines a test of the efficacy of native and chemically modified superantigens for use in a meningcoccal vaccine. This will test the feasibility of the use of superantigen as a carrier protein for a polysaccharide antigen. In future experiments we plan to expand to other infectious agents and to utilize genetically engineered superantigens to produced improved vaccine formulations.
This research will explore the possibility of using chemically modified bacterial antigens as carrier proteins in vaccines. An improved immune response evoked by a powerful carrier could lead to better and safer vaccines for many infectious diseases.
