Conserved Pneumococcal Antigen Fragments for Broad Serotype Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vaccines and treatments for Streptococcus pneumoniae infections are limited by serotype-specific protection, high variability, and antibiotic resistance, necessitating the development of new antigen fragments that can recognize multiple serotypes and induce a robust immune response.
Innovation Solution
Identification and utilization of novel antigenic protein fragments encoded by the spr1370, spr1875, and spr1120 open reading frames using phage display technology, which are conserved among bacterial pathogens, enabling the development of vaccines and diagnostic tools for Streptococcus pneumoniae and other related infections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current vaccines (23-valent or 7-valent conjugate) are used, then protection against specific pneumococcal serotypes is achieved, but the coverage is limited and serotype replacement by resistant strains occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies conserved protein fragments (spr0075, spr1370, spr1875, spr1120) that are present across multiple pneumococcal serotypes, enabling a single vaccine formulation to provide universal protection against diverse serotypes rather than serotype-specific protection. This multi-functional approach addresses the limitation of current vaccines that protect only against specific included serotypes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the pneumococcal surface proteins into specific antigenic fragments (epitopes) that can be isolated and used as vaccine components. By segmenting the proteins into immunogenic regions rather than using whole proteins or polysaccharides, the vaccine can target conserved regions across serotypes while maintaining immunogenicity.
2Productivity
If antibiotic treatment is used, then bacterial infections are treated, but antibiotic resistance develops reducing treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses phage display technology as an intermediary method to identify and select antigenic regions from pneumococcal proteins. The phage display system acts as a mediator between the bacterial proteins and the immune system, allowing identification of conserved epitopes that can be targeted by vaccines rather than antibiotics, thus avoiding resistance development.
3Adaptability or versatility
If phage display technology is used to identify antigens, then novel conserved antigenic regions are discovered, but the complexity of the identification process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates specific antigenic fragments (spr0075, spr1370, spr1875, spr1120) from the complex pneumococcal protein repertoire using phage display. By taking out only the relevant conserved epitopes rather than analyzing the entire proteome, the method simplifies the identification process while maintaining comprehensive coverage of protective antigens.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The identified protein fragments demonstrate reduced virulence in mutant strains and induce significant immune protection, offering a promising solution for preventing and treating pneumococcal infections across various serotypes and bacterial types, including those resistant to antibiotics.
Implementation Method 1
The library screening allowed the isolation of phage clones carrying three distinct antigenic regions of a hypothetical pneumococcal protein
Implementation Method 2
Antigenic regions of Spr0075 protein reacted with more than 60% of sera, indicating a broad recognition of this protein antigen
Data Source
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AI summary
Antigenic protein fragments of Streptococcus pneumoniae to be used for the preparation of a medicament for the prevention and the treatment of bacterial infections and a method for the detection thereof, and related compositions using said epitopes, are disclosed.