Toll-like receptor 2 agonists as vaccine adjuvants

Background

Vaccinations play an essential role in preventing infections in the population, reducing the number of deaths in vulnerable individuals, as well as preventing endemics of highly infectious diseases. Because of the protective nature of vaccinations, particularly for those in certain vulnerable populations such as newborns and the elderly, it is essential that vaccines produce a speedy and effective immune response.

Adjuvants are small molecules administered with the vaccine to accelerate, enhance, and broaden the immune response. Multiple adjuvants have been developed over the years; however, they vary in the type of immune response that they provoke as well as in their effectiveness.

Technology Overview

Dr. Levy’s group at Boston Children’s Hospital has discovered a group of small molecules that target the Toll-like receptor 2 of certain immune cells, acting as immunization adjuvants. These molecules were found to be immune-enhancing agents, and using them together with vaccines can promote efficient immune response to vaccination. Further studies of this novel invention confirmed its application in specific immune cells’ response that can not only promote infectious diseases’ immunization but also can be used to promote targeted immune response to certain cancers, with the potential to develop specific anti-cancer immune action in affected individuals.

Applications

• Enhancing, accelerating and/or broadening the immune response to vaccines for all individuals, including vulnerable ones
• Precision medicine approaches for treating cancer, through the modification of an individual’s immune response to fight cancer

Benefits

• Increasing the immunization success of vaccines without any accompanying adverse effects
• Reducing the need for re-vaccination, especially when there are actively changing pathogens, such as in a viral endemic
• Increasing the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies, especially for highly invasive malignant tumors, due to the broadened effects of the adjuvant on sensitizing the immune system to cancer

Publications

• Dowling DJ, Scott EA, Scheid A, et al. Toll-like receptor 8 agonist nanoparticles mimic immunomodulating effects of live BCG vaccine and enhance neonatal innate and adaptive immune responses. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2017 Nov;140(5)