Production of Inactivated Virus Vaccines Using Supralethal Irradiation

We seek a proof-of-concept study for the development of a new platform technology for the rapid and complete inactivation of pathogen infectivity for vaccine development of medically important micro-organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria and parasites). A recently discovered reconstituted Mn+2-decapeptide phosphate complex (Mn-Dp-Pi) of the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans was found to protect proteins bearing antigenic epitopes of a virus from oxidative inactivation at radiation doses which sterilized the virus infectivity. Purified poliovirus in preliminary studies treated via this method were found to be non-infectious while still retaining its natural antigenic make-up as determined by antibody binding. The proposed project intends to expand this initial observation by analyzing the stimulation of virus-neutralizing antibodies in laboratory animals immunized with radiation-inactivated virus preparations. Poliovirus has been selected as the model agent because the factors leading to protective immunity are well understood and a well-characterized vaccine is available for comparison. If successful, the Mn-Dp-Pi -radiation technology would provide the basis for advancement of the technology to later stage TLR readiness thus helping to meet a gap needed for fast and cost effective development and deployment of vaccines against newly emerging pathogens such as Ebola, MERS, SARS, Pandemic Influenza, Enteroviruses, and others of biosecurity interest.