Abstract
BACKGROUND: Killed Whole Cell Genome-Reduced Bacteria (KWC/GRB), a versatile vaccine platform, can produce very low cost, thermostable, easily manufactured vaccines expressing complex immunogens that include potent immunomodulators. This system supports iterative optimization through a Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) workflow aimed at enhancing immunogenicity. We applied this approach to developing HIV-1 gp41 Membrane-Proximal External Region (MPER) vaccines using the scaffolded MPER antigen, 3AGJ, a recombinant heterologous protein engineered to mimic MPER structures recognized by broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bNAbs). METHODS: Five KWC/GRB vaccines expressing versions of 3AGJ were designed, including versions linked to immunomodulators and multimers of the immunogen. Display on the surface of the bacteria was evaluated by flow cytometry using the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody 2F5. Outbred HET3 mice were vaccinated intramuscularly, and MPER-specific antibody responses were assessed by ELISA and by the ability of the vaccines to induce neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization was measured against tier 1 and tier 2 HIV-1 pseudoviruses. RESULTS: All five vaccines were strongly expressed on the bacterial surface and induced clear MPER-specific antibody responses in every mouse. About 33% of the animals showed detectable HIV-1 neutralization. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that a KWC/GRB-based scaffold-MPER (3AGJ) vaccine can elicit HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies in a subset of animals. Although further optimization will be required to improve the consistency and magnitude of neutralizing responses, the findings provide an initial validation of the concept. There are many strategies that can be used to enhance and extend immune responses induced by KWC/GRB vaccines that can be employed to yield improved anti-HIV-1 immune responses.