Biofilm Matrix Boosted Vaccine
Background
Bacterial biofilm formation is a process in which bacteria adhere to a surface, creating single or multilayer structures. The biofilm matrix consists of exopolysaccharides, proteins, and DNA. In contrast to the conventional belief that biofilm exopolysaccharides primarily serve as adhesive materials for binding cells to surfaces and each other, these substances may actually function as a scaffold for proteins that promote adhesive interactions.
Technology Overview
Due to the abundance of these adhesive proteins in the biofilm matrix, Dr. Watnick’s research group at Boston Children’s Hospital has proposed using the biofilm as a reservoir for delivering functional enzymes to surfaces. The capability of biofilms to strongly adhere to surfaces make them an ideal platform for presenting vaccine antigens. This technology has a broad range of potential applications, including vaccine development, addressing digestive dysfunction, biotechnology, bioremediation, and molecular biology.
Applications
- Delivery of enzymes to surfaces;
- Escherichia coli or a commonly used probiotic might be used to deliver lactase or pancreatic enzymes to the intestinal brush border of hosts deficient in these enzymes;
- A nonpathogenic bacterium colonizing the lung of a cystic fibrosis patient might be reengineered to deliver mucinase or alginase, thus helping to clear biofilm-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the lung.
Advantages
- Cost-effective
- Versatile platform for delivering protein antigens and immune adjuvants in whole-cell vaccines.
Publications
- Absalon C, Ymele-Leki P, Watnick PI. The bacterial biofilm matrix as a platform for protein delivery. mBio. 2012;3(4):e00127-12. Published 2012 Jul 17. doi:10.1128/mBio.00127-12
- Liao J, Smith DR, Brynjarsdóttir J, Watnick PI. A Self-Assembling Whole-Cell Vaccine Antigen Presentation Platform. J Bacteriol. 2018;200(15):e00752-17. Published 2018 Jul 10. doi:10.1128/JB.00752-17
